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“The  cheerful  community  of  the  polypody.’’ 


H ow  to  Know  the  Ferns 


A GUIDE 

TO  THE  NAMES,  HAUNTS,  AND  HABITS  OF 
OUR  COMMON  FERNS 


B> 

Frances  Theodora  Parsons 

A uthor  o/'  How  to  Know  the  Wild  Flowers  ** 
“According  to  Season etc. 


Illustrated  by 

Marion  Satterlee  and  Alice  Josephine  Smith 


SIXTH  EDITION 


Ne  w York 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 


Copyright,  1899,  by 
Charles  Scribner's  Sons 


2,J. 

5T7.3 


73.&7M 

n.  , e-d  . 

Joiology  Dept.  Llbr 


ary 


“ If  it  were  required  to  know  the  position  of  the  fruit * 
dots  Jr  the  character  of  the  indusium,  nothing  could  he 
easier  than  to  ascertain  it ; but  if  it  is  required  that  you 
be  affected  by  ferns,  that  they  amount  to  anything,  signify 
anything  to  you,  that  they  be  another  sacred  scripture  and 
revelation  to  you,  helping  to  redeem  your  life,  this  end  it 
not  so  easily  accomplished'' 


— Thoreao 


PREFACE 


Since  the  publication,  six  years  ago,  of  “ How  to 
Know  the  Wild  Flowers,”  I have  received  such  con- 
vincing testimony  of  the  eagerness  of  nature-lovers 
of  all  ages  and  conditions  to  familiarize  themselves 
with  the  inhabitants  of  our  woods  and  fields,  and  so 
many  assurances  of  the  joy  which  such  a familiarity 
affords,  that  I have  prepared  this  companion  volume 
on  “ How  to  Know  the  Ferns.”  It  has  been  my  ex- 
perience that  the  world  of  delight  which  opens 
before  us  when  we  are  admitted  into  some  sort  of 
intimacy  with  our  companions  other  than  human  is 
enlarged  with  each  new  society  into  which  we  win 
our  way. 

It  seems  strange  that  the  abundance  of  ferns 
everywhere  has  not  aroused  more  curiosity  as  to 
their  names,  haunts,  and  habits.  Add  to  this  abun- 
dance the  incentive  to  their  study  afforded  by  the 
fact  that  owing  to  the  comparatively  small  number 
of  species  we  can  familiarize  ourselves  with  a large 


PREFACE 


proportion  of  our  native  ferns  during  a single  sum- 
mer,  and  it  is  still  more  surprising  that  so  few  efforts 
have  been  made  to  bring  them  within  easy  reach  of 
the  public. 

I wish  to  acknowledge  my  indebtedness  to  the 
many  books  on  our  native  ferns  which  I have  con- 
sulted, but  more  especially  to  Gray’s  “ Manual,”  to 
Eaton’s  “Ferns  of  North  America,”  to  the  “Illus- 
trated Flora”  of  Messrs.  Britton  and  Brown,  to  Mr. 
Underwood’s  “Our  Native  Ferns,”  to  Mr.  William- 
son’s “ Ferns  of  Kentucky,”  to  Mr.  Dodge’s  “Ferns 
and  Fern  Allies  of  New  England,”  and  to  that  excel- 
lent little  quarterly,  which  I recommend  heartily  to 
all  fern-lovers,  the  “ Fern  Bulletin,”  edited  by  Mr. 
Willard  Clute,  of  Binghamton,  N.  Y. 

To  the  State  Botanist,  Dr.  Charles  H.  Peck,  who 
has  kindly  read  the  proof-sheets  of  this  book,  I am 
indebted  for  many  suggestions ; also  to  Mr.  Arthur 
G.  Clement,  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York. 

To  Miss  Marion  Satterlee  thanks  are  due  not  only 
for  many  suggestions,  but  also  for  the  descriptions 
of  the  Woodwardias. 

The  pen-and-ink  illustrations  are  all  from  original 
drawings  by  Miss  Satterlee  and  Miss  Alice  Jose- 

vi 


PREFACE 


phine  Smith.  The  photographs  have  been  furnished 
by  Miss  Murray  Ledyard,  Miss  Madeline  Smith,  and 
Mr.  Augustus  Pruyn. 

In  almost  all  cases  I have  followed  the  nomencla- 
ture of  Gray’s  “ Manual  ” as  being  the  one  which 
would  be  familiar  to  the  majority  of  my  readers, 
giving  in  parentheses  that  used  in  the  “ Illustrated 
Flora”  of  Messrs.  Britton  and  Brown. 

Frances  Theodora  Parsons 


Albany,  March  6,  1899 


" The  more  thou  I earnest  to  know  and  to  enjoy,  the  more 
full  and  complete  will  be  for  thee  the  delight  of  living." 


CONTENTS 


Page 

Preface . . . . vii 

Ferns  as  a Hobby / 

When  and  Where  to  Find  Ferns  . . .15 

Explanation  of  Terms 28 

Fertilisation,  Development , and  Fructification 
of  Ferns 32 

Notable  Fern  Families 36 

How  to  Use  the  Book 38 

Guide  .........  40 

Fern  Descriptions: 

Group  I. 

Group  II. 67 

Group  III. 8y 

Group  IV. 105 

Group  IX. j2o 

Group  VI. yg 

ix 


CONTENTS 


Index  to  Latin  Names 
Index  to  English  Names  . 
Index  to  Technical  Terms 


LIST  OF  PLATES 


***  The  actual  sizes  of  fertis  are  not  given  in  the  illustratio7is.  For  this 
information  see  the  corresponding  description. 


PLATE  PAGE 


I. 

Sensitive  Fern,  . . . 

Onoclea  sensibilis , . 

57 

II. 

Ostrich  Fern,  . . . 

Onoclea  Struthiopteris, 

• 59 

III. 

Cinnamon  Fern,  . . 

Osmunda  cinnamomea, 

. 61 

IV. 

Curly  Grass,  .... 

Schizaa  pusilla, 

- 65 

V. 

Royal  Fern,  .... 

Osmunda  regalis, 

69 

VI. 

Interrupted  Fern, 

Osmunda  Claytoniana, 

• 73 

VII. 

Adder’s  Tongue,  . . 

Ophioglossut)i  vulgatum, 

• 79 

VIII. 

Ternate  Grape 
Fern 

Botrychium  ternatum , 

• 83 

IX. 

Moonwort 

Botrychium  Lunaria,  . . 

• 85 

Lance-leaved  Grape 
Fern 

Botrychium  lanceolatum , 

. 85 

X. 

Purple  Cliff  Brake,  . 

Pella  a atropurpicrea,  . 

. 91 

XI. 

Narrow -leaved 
Spleenwort,  . . . 

Asplenhim  angustifoluim. 

■ 99 

XII. 

Net-veined  Chain 
Fern 

Woodwardia  angustifolia, 

. 103 

XIII. 

Hairy  Lip  Fern,  . . 

Cheilanthes  vestita , 

. 113 

XIV. 

Hay-scented  Fern, 

Dicksonia  pilosiuscula , . 

• ns 

XV. 

Lady  Fern,  .... 

Asplenium  Filix-foetnina , 

. 121 

XVI. 

Silvery  Spleenwort,  . 

A splenium  thelypteroides. 

. 125 

XVII. 

Rue  Spleenwort,  . . 

Asplenium  Ruta-muraria 

. 127 

XVIII. 

Mountain  Spleen- 
wort  

Asplenium  monlanum, 

• 131 

XIX. 

Ebony  Spleenwort, 

Asplenium  ebeneum , . 

. 135 

XXI. 

Scott’s  Spleenwort,  . 

Asplenium  ebenoides , . 

. 141 

XX. 

Green  Spleenwort, 

Asplenium  viride , . 

• 139 

XXII. 

Pinnatifid  Spleen- 
wort,   

Asplenium  pinnatifidum , 

• 143 

XXIII. 

Bradley’s  Spleen- 
wort,   

Asplenium  Bradleyi, 

. 145 

LIST  OF  PLATES 


PLATB  PAGE 

XXIV.  Virginia  Chain  Fern,  Woodwardia  Virginica , . 157 

XXV.  New  York  Fern,  . Aspidium  Noveboracense , . 161 

XXVI.  Marsh  Fern,  . . . Aspidium  Thelypteris , . . 163 

XXVII.  Spinulose  Wood 

Fern, Aspidium  spinulosum , var. 

intermedium , . . .165 

XXVIII.  Boott’s  Shield  Fern,  Aspidium  Boottii , ....  167 
XXIX.  Crested  Shield 

Fern, Aspidium  crista  turn,  . . . 169 

XXX.  Clinton’s  Wood 

Fern, Aspidium  cristatum , var. 

Clintonian  um.  . . . .171 

XXXI.  Goldie’s  Fern,  . . Aspidium  Goldianum , . . 173 

XXXII.  Evergreen  Wood 

Fern, Aspidium  marginale,  . . 175 

XXXIII.  Fragrant  Shield 

Fern, Aspidium  fragrans , . . -179 

XXXIV.  Braun’s  Holly  Fern,  Aspidium  aculeatum , var. 

Braunii , 18  j 

XXXV.  Broad  Beech  Fern,  Phegopteris  hexagonop  ter  a , . 189 

XXXVI.  Oak  Fern,  ....  Phegopteris  Dryopteris,  . . 191 

XXXVII.  Bulblet  Bladder 

Fern, Cystopleris  bulbifera , . . .195 

XXXVIII.  Fragile  Bladder 

Fern, Cystopleris  fragilis,  . . . 197 

XXXIX.  Rusty  Woodsia,  . . IVoodsia  Ilvensis 199 

XL.  Blunt-lobed  Wood- 
sia,   IVoodsia  oblusa , ....  201 

XLI.  Northern  Woodsia,  IVoodsia  hyperborea , . . . 205 

XLII.  Smooth  Woodsia,  . Woodsia  glabella , ....  207 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


• * The  cheerful  community  of  the  polypody  ” . Frontispiece 

From  a photograph  by  Miss  Madeline  Smith. 

Page 

New  York  Fern xvi 

" The  greatest  charm  the  ferns  possess  is  that  of  their 

surroundings  ” 12 

From  a photograph  by  Mr.  Augustus  Pruyn. 

Fiddleheads 18 

Fragile  Bladder  Fern / 9 

Crested  Shield  Fern 20 

Purple  Cliff  Brake 22 

Ternate  Grape  Fern 24 

Evergreen  Wood  Fern 27 

Sensitive  Fern 55 

Cinnamon  Fern 60 

Royal  Fern  .........  68 

Interrupted  Fern -74 

Climbing  Fern 75 

Rattlesnake  Fern 80 

Slender  Cliff  Brake 89 

" The  unpromising  wall  of  rock  which  rose  beside  us”  . 94 

From  a photograph  by  Miss  Ledyard 
xiii 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Page 

More  compound  frond  of  Purple  Cliff  Brake  . . 95 

Christmas  Fern 97 

Narrow-leaved  Spleenwort 98 

Brake 106 

Maidenhair ..  no 

Mountain  Spleenwort 130 

Mountain  Spleenwort 7 32 

" In  the  shaded  crevices  of  a cliff  ” . . . .132 

From  a photograph  by  Miss  Madeline  Smith. 

Maidenhair  Spleenwort 757 

Walking  Leaf 146 

“ We  fairly  gloated  over  the  quaint  little  plants  ” . 148 

From  a photograph  by  Miss  Ledyard. 

Hart's  Tongue 75/ 

Marsh  Fern 162 

“ Like  the  plumes  of  departing  Summer  " . .178 

From  a photograph  by  Miss  Madeline  Smith. 

Common  Polypody 184 

Long  Beech  Fern 187 

Oak  Fern 797 

Buiblet  Bladder  Fern 194 


XIV 


How  to  Know  the  Ferns 


New  York  Fern 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


I think  it  is  Charles  Lamb  who  says  that  every 
man  should  have  a hobby,  if  it  be  nothing  better 
than  collecting  strings.  A man  with  a hobby  turns 
to  account  the  spare  moments.  A holiday  is  a de- 
light instead  of  a bore  to  a man  with  a hobby. 
Thrown  out  of  his  usual  occupations  on  a holiday, 
the  average  man  is  at  a loss  for  employment.  Pro- 
vided his  neighbors  are  in  the  same  fix,  he  can  play 
cards.  But  there  are  hobbies  and  hobbies.  As  an 
occasional  relaxation,  for  example,  nothing  can  be 
said  against  card-playing.  But  as  a hobby  it  is  not 
much  better  than  “ collecting  strings.”  It  is  neither 
broadening  mentally  nor  invigorating  physically,  and 
it  closes  the  door  upon  other  interests  which  are  both. 
I remember  that  once,  on  a long  sea-voyage,  I envied 
certain  of  my  fellow-passengers  who  found  amuse- 
ment in  cards  when  the  conditions  were  such  as  to 
make  almost  any  other  occupation  out  of  the  ques- 
tion. But  when  finally  the  ship’s  course  lay  along  a 
strange  coast,  winding  among  unfamiliar  islands, 
by  shores  luxuriant  with  tropical  vegetation  and 
sprinkled  with  strange  settlements,  all  affording  de- 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


light  to  the  eye  and  interest  to  the  mind,  these 
players  who  had  come  abroad  solely  for  instruction 
and  pleasure  could  not  be  enticed  from  their  tables, 
and  I thanked  my  stars  that  I had  not  fallen  under 
the  stultifying  sway  of  cards.  Much  the  same  grati- 
tude is  aroused  when  I see  men  and  women  spending 
precious  summer  days  indoors  over  the  card-table 
when  they  might  be  breathing  the  fragrant,  life- 
giving  air,  and  rejoicing  in  the  beauty  and  interest 
of  the  woods  and  fields. 

All  things  considered,  a hobby  that  takes  us  out 
of  doors  is  the  best.  The  different  open-air  sports 
may  be  classed  under  this  head.  The  chief  lack  in 
the  artificial  sports,  such  as  polo,  golf,  baseball,  etc., 
as  opposed  to  the  natural  sports,  hunting  and  fish- 
ing, is  that  while  they  are  invaluable  as  a means  of 
health  and  relaxation,  they  do  not  lead  to  other  and 
broader  interests,  while  many  a boy-hunter  has  de- 
veloped into  a naturalist  as  a result  of  long  days  in 
the  woods.  Hunting  and  fishing  would  seem  almost 
perfect  recreations  were  it  not  for  the  life-taking 
element,  which  may  become  brutalizing.  I wish 
that  every  mother  who  believes  in  the  value  of 
natural  sport  for  her  young  boys  would  set  her 
face  sternly  against  any  taking  of  life  that  cannot  be 
justified  on  the  ground  of  man’s  needs,  either  in  the 
way  of  protection  or  support. 

The  ideal  hobby,  it  seems  to  me,  is  one  that  keeps 
us  in  the  open  air  among  inspiring  surroundings, 
with  the  knowledge  of  natural  objects  as  the  end  in 
view.  The  study  of  plants,  of  animals,  of  the  earth 


TERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


itself,  botany,  zoology,  or  geology,  any  one  of  these 
will  answer  the  varied  requirements  of  an  ideal 
hobby.  Potentially  they  possess  all  the  elements  of 
sport.  Often  they  require  not  only  perseverance 
and  skill  but  courage  and  daring.  They  are  a 
means  of  health,  a relaxation  to  the  mind  from  ordi- 
nary cares,  and  an  absorbing  interest.  Any  one  of 
them  may  be  used  as  a doorway  to  the  others. 

If  parents  realized  the  value  to  their  childrens’ 
minds  and  bodies  of  a love  for  plants  and  animals, 
of  any  such  hobby  as  birds  or  butterflies  or  trees  or 
flowers,  I am  sure  they  would  take  more  pains  to 
encourage  the  interest  which  instinctively  a child 
feels  in  these  things.  It  must  be  because  such  real- 
ization is  lacking  that  we  see  parents  apparently 
either  too  indolent  or  too  ignorant  to  share  the 
enthusiasm  and  to  satisfy  the  curiosity  awakened 
in  the  child’s  active  mind  by  natural  objects. 

Of  course  it  is  possible  that  owing  to  the  strange 
reticence  of  many  children,  parents  may  be  uncon- 
scious of  the  existence  of  any  enthusiasm  or  curiosity 
of  this  sort.  As  a little  child  I was  so  eager  to  know 
the  names  of  the  wild  flowers  that  I went  through 
my  grandfather’s  library,  examining  book  after  book 
on  flowers  in  the  vain  hope  of  acquiring  the  desired 
information.  Always  after  more  or  less  tedious 
reading,  for  I was  too  young  to  master  tables  of 
contents  and  introductions,  I would  discover  that 
the  volume  under  examination  was  devoted  to 
garden  flowers.  But  I do  not  remember  that  it  oc- 
curred to  me  to  tell  anyone  what  I wanted  or  to  ask 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


for  help.  Finally  I learned  that  a book  on  the  sub- 
ject, written  “ for  young  people,”  was  in  existence, 
and  I asked  my  mother  to  buy  it  for  me.  The  re- 
quest was  gratified  promptly  and  I plodded  through 
the  preliminary  matter  of  “ How  Plants  Grow  ” to 
find  that  I was  quite  unable  to  master  the  key,  and 
that  any  knowledge  of  the  flowers  that  could  appeal 
to  my  child-mind  was  locked  away  from  me  as  hope- 
lessly as  before.  Even  though  my  one  expressed 
wish  had  been  so  gladly  met,  I did  not  confide  to 
others  my  perplexity,  but  surrendered  sadly  a cher- 
ished dream.  Owing  largely,  I believe,  to  the  re- 
action from  this  disappointment,  it  was  many  years 
before  I attempted  again  to  wrestle  with  a botan- 
ical key,  or  to  learn  the  names  of  the  flowers. 

How  much  was  lost  by  yielding  too  easily  to  dis- 
couragement I not  only  realize  now,  but  I realized 
it  partially  during  the  long  period  when  the  plants 
were  nameless.  Among  the  flowers  whose  faces 
were  familiar  though  their  names  were  unknown,  I 
felt  that  1 was  not  making  the  most  of  my  oppor- 
tunities. And  when  I met  plants  which  were  both 
new  and  nameless,  I was  a stranger  indeed.  In  the 
English  woods  and  along  the  lovely  English  rivers, 
by  the  rushing  torrents  and  in  the  Alpine  meadows 
of  Switzerland,  on  the  mountains  of  Brazil,  I should 
have  felt  myself  less  an  alien  had  I been  able  then 
as  now  to  detect  the  kinship  between  foreign  and 
North  American  plants,  and  to  call  the  strangers  by 
names  that  were  at  least  partially  familiar. 

To  the  man  or  woman  who  is  somewhat  at  home 


4 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


in  the  plant-world,  travel  is  quite  a different  thing 
from  what  it  is  to  one  who  does  not  know  a mint 
from  a mustard.  The  shortest  journey  to  a new 
locality  is  full  of  interest  to  the  traveller  who  is  striv- 
ing to  lengthen  his  list  of  plant  acquaintances.  The 
tedious  waits  around  the  railway  station  are  wel- 
comed as  opportunities  for  fresh  discoveries.  The 
slow  local  train  receives  blessings  instead  of  anath- 
emas because  of  the  superiority  of  its  windows  as 
posts  of  observation.  The  long  stage  ride  is  too 
short  to  satisfy  the  plant-lover  who  is  keeping  count 
of  the  different  species  by  the  roadside. 

While  crossing  the  continent  on  the  Canadian 
Pacific  Railway  a few  years  ago,  the  days  spent  in 
traversing  the  vast  plains  east  of  the  Rockies  were 
days  of  keen  enjoyment  on  account  of  the  new 
plants  seen  from  my  window  and  gathered  breath- 
lessly for  identification  during  the  brief  stops.  But 
to  most  of  my  fellow-passengers  they  were  days  of 
unmitigated  boredom.  They  could  not  comprehend 
the  reluctance  with  which  I met  each  nightfall  as 
an  interruption  to  my  watch. 

When,  finally,  one  cold  June  morning  we  climbed 
the  glorious  Canadian  Rockies  and  were  driven  to 
the  hotel  at  Banff,  where  we  were  to  rest  for 
twenty-four  hours,  the  enjoyment  of  the  previous 
week  was  crowned  by  seeing  the  dining-room  tables 
decorated  with  a flower  which  I had  never  suc- 
ceeded in  finding  in  the  woods  at  home.  It  was  the 
lovely  little  orchid,  Calypso  borealis , a shy,  wild 
creature  which  had  been  brought  to  me  from  the 

5 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


mountains  of  Vermont.  It  seemed  almost  desecra- 
tion to  force  this  little  aristocrat  to  consort  with  the 
pepper-pots  and  pickles  of  a hotel  dining-room.  In 
my  eagerness  to  see  Calypso  in  her  forest-home  I 
could  scarcely  wait  to  eat  the  breakfast  for  which  a 
few  moments  before  I had  been  painfully  hungry. 

Unfortunately  the  waiters  at  Banff  were  proved 
as  ruthless  as  vandals  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 
Among  the  pines  that  clothed  the  lower  mountain- 
sides I found  many  plants  of  Calypso,  but  only  one 
or  two  of  the  delicate  blossoms  had  been  left  to 
gladden  the  eyes  of  those  who  love  to  see  a flower 
in  the  wild  beauty  of  its  natural  surroundings. 

That  same  eventful  day  had  in  store  for  me  an- 
other delight  as  the  result  of  my  love  for  plants. 
For  a long  time  I had  wished  to  know  the  shooting- 
star,  a flower  with  whose  general  appearance  from 
pictures  or  from  descriptions  I was  familiar.  I 
knew  that  it  grew  in  this  part  of  the  world,  but  dur- 
ing a careful  search  of  the  woods  and  meadows  and 
of  the  banks  of  the  rushing  streams  the  only  shoot- 
ing-star I discovered  was  a faded  blossom  which 
someone  had  picked  and  flung  upon  the  mountain- 
path.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  having  given  up  the 
hope  of  any  fresh  find,  I went  for  a swim  in  the 
warm  sulphur  pool.  While  paddling  about  the  clear 
water,  revelling  in  the  beauty  of  the  surroundings 
and  the  sheer  physical  joy  of  the  moment,  my  eyes 
fell  suddenly  on  a cluster  of  pink,  cyclamen-like 
blossoms  springing  from  the  opposite  rocks.  I 
recognized  at  once  the  pretty  shooting-star. 

6 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


Two  days  later,  at  Glacier,  I had  another  pleas- 
ure from  the  same  source  in  the  discovery  of  great 
beds  of  nodding  golden  lilies,  the  western  species 
of  adder’s  tongue,  growing  close  to  white  fields  of 
snow. 

“Ten  thousand  saw  I at  a glance, 

Tossing  their  heads  in  sprightly  dance.” 

The  enjoyment  of  the  entire  trip  to  the  Pacific 
coast,  of  the  voyage  among  the  islands  and  glaciers 
of  Alaska,  and  of  the  journey  home  through  the 
Yellowstone  and  across  our  Western  prairies,  was 
increased  indescribably  by  the  new  plants  I learned 
to  know. 

The  pleasure  we  take  in  literature,  as  in  travel,  is 
enhanced  by  a knowledge  of  nature.  Not  only  are 
we  able  better  to  appreciate  writers  on  nature  so 
original  and  inspiring  as  Thoreau,  or  so  charming  as 
John  Burroughs,  but  such  nature-loving  poets  as 
Wordsworth,  Lowell,  Bryant,  and  countless  others, 
mean  infinitely  more  to  the  man  or  woman  who  with 
a love  of  poetry  combines  a knowledge  of  the  plants 
and  birds  mentioned  in  the  poems. 

Books  of  travel  are  usually  far  more  interesting  if 
we  have  some  knowledge  of  botany  and  zoology. 
This  is  also  true  of  biographies  which  deal  with  men 
or  women  who  find  either  their  work  or  their  recre- 
ation— and  how  many  men  and  women  who  have 
been  powers  for  good  may  be  counted  in  one  class 
or  the  other — in  some  department  of  natural  science. 

One  fascinating  department  of  nature-study,  that 

7 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


of  ferns,  has  received  but  little  attention  in  this 
country.  Within  the  last  few  years  we  have  been 
supplied  with  excellent  and  inexpensive  hand-books 
to  our  birds,  butterflies,  trees,  and  flowers.  But  so 
far  as  I know,  with  the  exception  of  Mr.  William- 
son’s little  volume  on  the  “ Ferns  of  Kentucky,” 
we  have  no  book  with  sufficient  text  and  illustra- 
tions within  the  reach  of  the  brains  and  purse  of  the 
average  fern-lover.  In  England  one  finds  books  of 
all  sizes  and  prices  on  the  English  ferns,  while  our 
beautiful  American  ferns  are  almost  unknown,  owing 
probably  to  the  lack  of  attractive  and  inexpensive 
fern  literature.  Eaton’s  finely  illustrated  work  on 
the  “ Ferns  of  North  America  ” is  entirely  out  of  the 
question  on  account  of  its  expense;  and  the  “ Illus- 
trated Flora”  of  Britton  & Brown  is  also  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  ordinary  plant-lover.  Miss  Price’s 
“Fern  Collectors’  Hand-book”  is  helpful,  but  it  is 
without  descriptive  text.  “Our  Native  Ferns  and 
their  Allies,”  by  Mr.  Underwood,  is  exhaustive  and 
authoritative,  but  it  is  extremely  technical  and  the 
different  species  are  not  illustrated.  Mr.  Dodge’s 
pamphlet  on  the  “Ferns  and  Fern  Allies  of  New 
England”  is  excellent  so  far  as  it  goes,  the  descrip- 
tions not  being  so  technical  as  to  confuse  the  be- 
ginner. But  this  also  is  not  illustrated,  while  Mr. 
Knobel’s  pamphlet,  “The  Ferns  and  Evergreens  of 
New  England,”  has  clear  black-and-white  illustra- 
tions of  many  species,  but  it  has  no  text  of  impor- 
tance. 

In  view  of  the  singular  grace  and  charm  of  the  fern 

8 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


tribe,  patent  to  the  most  careless  observer,  this  lack 
of  fern  literature  is  surprising.  It  is  possible  that 
Thoreau  is  right  in  claiming  that  “ we  all  feel  the 
ferns  to  be  farther  from  us  essentially  and  sympathet- 
ically than  the  phenogamous  plants,  the  roses  and 
weeds  for  instance.”  This  may  be  true  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  to  some  of  us  the  charm  of  ferns  is 
as  great,  their  beauty  more  subtle,  than  that  of  the 
flowering  plants,  and  to  learn  to  know  them  by 
name,  to  trace  them  to  their  homes,  and  to  observe 
their  habits  is  attended  with  an  interest  as  keen, 
perhaps  keener,  than  that  which  attends  the  study 
of  the  names,  haunts,  and  habits  of  the  flowers. 

That  ferns  possess  a peculiar  power  of  blinding 
their  votaries  to  the  actual  position  they  occupy 
in  the  minds  of  people  in  general  seems  to  me  evi- 
denced by  the  following  quotations,  taken  respec- 
tively from  Mr.  Underwood’s  and  Mr.  Williamson’s 
introductions. 

So  competent  and  coldly  scientific  an  authority 
as  Mr.  Underwood  opens  his  book  with  these 
words  : 

“In  the  entire  vegetable  world  there  are  probably 
no  forms  of  growth  that  attract  more  general  notice 
than  the  Ferns.” 

The  lack  of  fern  literature,  it  seems  to  me,  proves 
the  fallacy  of  this  statement.  If  ferns  had  been 
more  generally  noticed  than  other  “ forms  of 
growth  ” in  the  vegetable  world,  surely  more  would 
have  been  written  on  the  subject,  and  occasionally 
someone  besides  a botanist  would  be  found  who  could 


9 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


name  correctly  more  than  three  or  four  of  our  com- 
mon  wayside  ferns. 

In  his  introduction  to  the  “ Ferns  of  Kentucky,” 
Mr.  Williamson  asks:  “Who  would  now  think  of 
going  to  the  country  to  spend  a few  days,  or  even 
one  day,  without  first  inquiring  whether  ferns  are 
to  be  found  in  the  locality?” 

Though  for  some  years  I have  been  interested  in 
ferns  and  have  made  many  all-day  country  expedi- 
tions with  various  friends,  I do  not  remember  ever 
to  have  heard  this  question  asked.  Yet  that  two 
such  writers  as  Mr.  Underwood  and  Mr.  William- 
son could  imagine  the  existence  of  a state  of  things 
so  contrary  to  fact,  goes  far  to  prove  the  fascination 
of  the  study. 

To  the  practical  mind  one  of  the  great  advantages 
of  ferns  as  a hobby  lies  in  the  fact  that  the  number 
of  our  native,  that  is,  of  our  northeastern,  ferns  is  so 
comparatively  small  as  to  make  it  an  easy  matter  to 
learn  to  know  by  name  and  to  see  in  their  homes 
perhaps  two-thirds  of  them. 

On  an  ordinary  walk  of  an  hour  or  two  through 
the  fields  and  woods,  the  would-be  fern  student 
can  familiarize  himself  with  anywhere  from  ten 
to  fifteen  of  the  ferns  described  in  this  book. 
During  a summer  holiday  in  an  average  locality 
he  should  learn  to  know  by  sight  and  by  name 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  ferns,  while  in  a really 
good  neighborhood  the  enthusiast  who  is  willing 
to  scour  the  surrounding  country  from  the  tops 
of  the  highest  mountains  to  the  depths  of  the 


IO 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


wildest  ravines  may  hope  to  extend  his  list  into  the 
forties. 

During  the  past  year  several  lists  of  the  ferns  found 
on  a single  walk  or  within  a certain  radius  have 
been  published  in  the  Fern  Bulletin,  leading  to  some 
rivalry  between  fern  students  who  claim  precedence 
for  their  pet  localities. 

Mr.  Underwood  has  found  twenty-seven  species 
within  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Green  Lake,  Onon- 
daga County,  N.  Y.,  and  thirty-four  species  within 
a circle  whose  diameter  is  not  over  three  miles. 

Mrs.  E.  H.  Terry,  on  a two-hours’  walk  near 
Dorset,  Vt.,  did  still  better.  She  found  thirty-three 
species  and  four  varieties,  while  Miss  Margaret 
Slosson  has  broken  the  record  by  finding  thirty-nine 
species  and  eight  varieties,  near  Pittsford,  Rutland 
County,  Vt.,  within  a triangle  formed  by  “the  end 
of  a tamarack  swamp,  a field  less  than  a mile  away, 
and  some  limestone  cliffs  three  miles  from  both 
the  field  and  the  end  of  the  swamp.” 

Apart  from  the  interest  of  extending  one’s  list  of 
fern  acquaintances  is  that  of  discovering  new  sta- 
tions for  the  rarer  species.  It  was  my  good  fortune 
last  summer  to  make  one  of  a party  which  found 
a previously  unknown  station  for  the  rare  Hart’s 
Tongue,  and  I felt  the  thrill  of  excitement  which 
attends  such  an  experience.  The  other  day,  in 
looking  over  Torrey’s  “Flora  of  Newr  York,”  I 
noticed  the  absence  of  several  ferns  now  known  to 
be  natives  of  this  State.  When  the  fern  student 
realizes  the  possibility  which  is  always  before  him 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


of  finding  a new  station  for  a rare  fern,  and  thus 
adding  an  item  of  value  to  the  natural  history  of  the 
State,  he  should  be  stimulated  to  fresh  zeal. 

Other  interesting  possibilities  are  those  of  discover- 
ing a new  variety  and  of  chancing  upon  those  forked 
or  crested  fronds  which  appear  occasionally  in  many 
species.  These  unusual  forms  not  only  possess  the 
charm  of  rarity  and  sometimes  of  intrinsic  beauty, 
but  they  are  interesting  because  of  the  light  it  is  be- 
lieved they  may  throw  on  problems  of  fern  ancestry. 
To  this  department  of  fern  study,  the  discovery  and 
development  of  abnormal  forms,  much  attention  is 
paid  in  England.  In  Lowe’s  “ British  Ferns  ” I 
find  described  between  thirty  and  forty  varieties  of 
Polypodium  vulgare,  while  the  varieties  of  Scolopen- 
drium  vulgare , our  rare  Hart’s  Tongue,  extend  into 
the  hundreds. 

The  majority  of  ferns  mature  late  in  the  summer, 
giving  the  student  the  advantage  of  several  weeks 
or  months  in  which  to  observe  their  growth.  Many 
of  our  most  interesting  flowers  bloom  and  perish  be- 
fore we  realize  that  the  spring  is  really  over.  There 
are  few  flower  lovers  who  have  not  had  the  sense  of 
being  outwitted  by  the  rush  of  the  season.  Every 
year  I make  appointments  with  the  different  plants 
to  visit  them  at  their  flowering  time,  and  nearly 
every  year  I miss  some  such  appointments  through 
failure  to  appreciate  the  short  lives  of  these  fragile 
blossoms. 

A few  of  the  ferns  share  the  early  habits  common 
to  so  many  flowers.  But  usually  we  can  hope  to 


12 


“The  greatest  charm  the  terns  possess  is  that  of  their  surroundings.” 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


find  them  in  their  prime  when  most  of  the  flowers 
have  disappeared. 

To  me  the  greatest  charm  the  ferns  possess  is  that 
of  their  surroundings.  No  other  plants  know  so 
well  how  to  choose  their  haunts.  If  you  wish  to 
know  the  ferns  you  must  follow  them  to  Nature’s 
most  sacred  retreats.  In  remote,  tangled  swamps, 
overhanging  the  swift,  noiseless  brook  in  the  heart 
of  the  forest,  close  to  the  rush  of  the  foaming  water- 
fall, in  the  depths  of  some  dark  ravine,  or  perhaps 
high  up  on  mountain-ledges,  where  the  air  is  purer 
and  the  world  wider  and  life  more  beautiful  than  we 
had  fancied,  these  wild,  graceful  things  are  most  at 
home. 

You  will  never  learn  to  know  the  ferns  if  you 
expect  to  make  their  acquaintance  from  a carriage, 
along  the  highway,  or  in  the  interval  between  two 
meals.  For  their  sakes  you  must  renounce  indolent 
habits.  You  must  be  willing  to  tramp  tirelessly 
through  woods  and  across  fields,  to  climb  mountains 
and  to  scramble  down  gorges.  You  must  be  con- 
tent with  what  luncheon  you  can  carry  in  your 
pocket.  And  let  me  tell  you  this.  When  at  last 
you  fling  yourself  upon  some  bed  of  springing  moss, 
and  add  to  your  sandwich  cresses  fresh  and  drip- 
ping from  the  neighboring  brook,  you  will  eat  your 
simple  meal  with  a relish  that  never  attends  the 
most  elaborate  luncheon  within  four  walls.  And 
when  later  you  surrender  yourself  to  the  delicious 
sense  of  fatigue  and  drowsy  relaxation  which  steals 
over  you,  mind  and  body,  listening  half-uncon- 

*3 


FERNS  AS  A HOBBY 


sciously  to  the  plaintive,  long-drawn  notes  of  the 
wood-birds  and  the  sharp  “ tsing  ” of  the  locusts, 
breathing  the  mingled  fragrance  of  the  mint  at  your 
feet  and  the  pines  and  hemlocks  overhead,  you  will 
wonder  vaguely  why  on  summer  days  you  ever 
drive  along  the  dusty  high-road  or  eat  indoors  or  do 
any  of  the  flavorless  conventional  things  that  con- 
sume so  large  a portion  of  our  lives. 

Of  course  what  is  true  of  other  out-door  studies  is 
true  of  the  study  of  ferns.  Constantly  your  curiosity 
is  aroused  by  some  bird-note,  some  tree,  some  gor- 
geously colored  butterfly,  and,  in  the  case  of  ferns 
especially,  by  some  outcropping  rock,  which  make 
you  eager  to  follow  up  other  branches  of  nature- 
study,  and  to  know  by  name  each  tree  and  bird  and 
butterfly  and  rock  you  meet. 

The  immediate  result  of  these  long  happy  days  is 
that  “ golden  doze  of  mind  which  follows  upon  much 
exercise  in  the  open  air,”  the  “ecstatic  stupor’’ 
which  Stevenson  supposes  to  be  the  nearly  chronic 
condition  of  “open-air  laborers.”  Surely  there  is 
no  such  preventive  of  insomnia,  no  such  cure  for 
nervousness  or  morbid  introspection  as  an  absorb- 
ing out-door  interest.  Body  and  mind  alike  are 
invigorated  to  a degree  that  cannot  be  appreciated 
by  one  who  has  not  experienced  the  life-giving 
power  of  some  such  close  and  loving  contact  with 
nature. 


14 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


“ It  is  no  use  to  direct  our  steps  to  the  woods  if  they  do  not 
carry  us  thither.  I am  alarmed  when  it  happens  that  I have 
walked  a mile  into  the  woods  bodily,  without  getting  there  in 
spirit.  ” — Thoreau 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


It  is  in  early  spring  that  one  likes  to  take  up  for 
the  first  time  an  out-door  study.  But  if  you  begin 
your  search  for  ferns  in  March,  when  the  woods  are 
yielding  a few  timid  blossoms,  and  the  air,  still 
pungent  with  a suggestion  of  winter,  vibrates  to  the 
lisping  notes  of  newly  arrived  birds,  you  will  hardly 
be  rewarded  by  finding  any  but  the  evergreen  spe- 
cies, and  even  these  are  not  likely  to  be  especially 
conspicuous  at  this  season. 

Usually  it  is  the  latter  part  of  April  before  the 
pioneers  among  the  lerns,  the  great  Osmundas,  push 
up  the  big,  woolly  croziers,  or  fiddleheads,  which 
will  soon  develop  into  the  most  luxuriant  and  trop- 
ical-looking plants  of  our  low  wet  woods  and  road- 
sides. 

At  about  the  same  time,  down  among  last  year’s 
Christmas  Ferns,  you  find  the  rolled-up  fronds  of 
this  year,  covered  with  brown  or  whitish  scales. 
And  now  every  day  for  many  weeks  will  appear 
fresh  batches  of  young  ferns.  Someone  has  said 
that  there  is  nothing  more  aggressively  new-born 
than  a young  fern,  and  this  thought  will  recur 

17 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


constantly  as  you  chance  upon  the  little  wrinkled 
crozier-like  fronds,  whether  they  are  bundled  up 
in  wrappings  of  soft  wool  or  pro- 
tected by  a garment  of  overlap- 
ping scales,  or  whether,  like  many 
of  the  later  arrivals,  they  come 
into  the  world  as  naked  and  puny 
as  a human  baby. 

Once  uncurled,  the  ferns  lose 
quickly  this  look  of  infancy,  and 
embody,  quite  as  effectively,  even 
the  hardiest  and  coarsest  among 
them,  the  slender  grace  of  youth. 
Early  in  May  we  find  the  Osmun- 
das  in  this  stage  of  their  develop- 
ment. The  Royal  Fern,  smooth 
and  delicate,  is  now  flushing  the 
wet  meadows  with  its  tender  red. 
In  the  open  woods  and  along  the 
roadside  the  Interrupted  and  the 
Cinnamon  Ferns  wear  a green 
equally  delicate.  These  three 
plants  soon  reach  maturity  and 
are  conspicuous  by  reason  of  their 
unusual  size  and  their  flower- 
like  fruit-clusters. 

On  the  rocky  banks  of  the 
brook,  or  perhaps  among  the 
spreading  roots  of  some  forest- 
tree,  the  Fragile  Bladder  Fern 
unrolls  its  tremulous  little 
18 


Fiddleheada 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


fronds,  on  which  the  fruit-dots  soon  appear.  Where 
there  is  less  moisture  and  more  exposure  we  may 
find  the  Rusty  Woodsia,  now  belying  its  name  by 
its  silvery  aspect.  At  this  same  season  in  the  bogs 
and  thickets  we  should  look  for  the  curious  little 
Adder’s  Tongue. 

By  the  first  of  June  many  of  the  ferns  are  well 
advanced.  On  the  hill-sides  and  along 
the  wood-path  the  Brake  spreads  its 
single  umbrella-like  frond,  now  pale 
green  and  delicate,  quite  unlike 
umbrageous-looking  plant  of  a 
month  later.  Withdrawing  into 
the  recesses  formed  by  the  past- 
ure-rails the  Lady  Fern  is  in  its 
first  freshness,  without  any  sign 
of  the  disfigurements  it  develops 
so  often  by  the  close  of  the 
summer.  Great  patches  of 
yellowish  green  in  the  wet 
meadows  draw  atten- 
tion to  the  Sensitive 
Fern,  which  only  at 
this  season  seems  to 
have  any  claim  to  its 
title.  The  Virginia  Chain  Fern  is  another  plant  to 
be  looked  for  in  the  wet  June  meadows.  It  is  one 
of  the  few  ferns  which  grows  occasionally  in  deep 
water. 

The  Maidenhair,  though  immature,  is  lovely  in  its 
fragility.  Thoreau  met  with  it  on  June  13th  and 

19 


Fragile  Bladder  Fern 


describes 
it  in  his 
diary  for 
that  day:  “The 
delicate  maid- 
en-hair fern 
forms  a cup  or  dish, 
very  delicate  and  grace- 
ful. Beautiful,  too,  its 
glossy  black  stem  and 
its  wave-edged,  fruited 
leaflets.” 

In  the  crevices  of  lof- 
ty cliffs  the  Mountain 
Spleenwort  approaches 
maturity.  And  now  we 
should  search  the  moist, 
mossy  crannies  of  the 
rocks  for  the  Slender  Cliff 
Brake,  for  in  some  localities 
this  plant  disappears  early  in 
the  summer. 

We  may  hope  to  find  most  of 
the  ferns  in  full  foliage,  if  not  in 
fruit,  by  the  middle  of  July.  Dark 
green,  tall  and  vigorous  stand  the 
Brakes.  The  Crested  Shield  Fern  is 
fruiting  in  the  swamps,  and  in  the  deep- 
er woods  Clinton’s  and  Goldie’s  Ferns 
are  in  full  fruitage.  Magnificent  vase- 
like clusters  of  the  Ostrich  Fern  spread  above  our 


Crested 
Shield  Fern 


20 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


heads  in  the  thicket  along  the  river-shore.  The 
Spinulose  Shield  Fern  and  the  Evergreen  Wood 
Fern  meet  us  at  every  turn  of  the  shaded  path 
beside  the  brook,  and  on  the  rocky  wooded  hill- 
side the  Christmas  Fern  is  almost  as  abundant. 
Where  the  stream  plunges  from  above,  the  Bulb- 
let  Bladder  Fern  drapes  the  steep  banks  with  its 
long  feathery  fronds.  In  the  wet  meadows  and 
thickets  the  New  York  Fern  and  the  Marsh 
Shield  Fern  are  noticeable  on  account  of  their 
light  green  color  and  delicate  texture.  On  moun- 
tain-ledges we  look  for  the  little  Woodsias,  and  in 
rocky  places,  often  in  the  shadow  of  red  cedars,  for 
the  slim  erect  fronds  of  the  Ebony  Spleenwort. 

Possibly  it  will  be  our  good  fortune  to  discover 
the  blue-green  foliage  of  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake 
springing  from  the  crevices  of  some  dry  limestone 
cliff.  Almost  surely,  if  we  search  the  moist,  shaded 
rocks  and  ravines  in  the  neighborhood,  we  shall 
greet  with  unfailing  pleasure  the  lovely  little 
Maidenhair  Spleenwort. 

In  somewhat  southern  localities  the  tapering, 
yellow-green  fronds  of  the  Dicksonia  or  Hay-scent- 
ed Fern  are  even  more  abundant  and  conspicuous 
than  the  darker  foliage  of  the  Spinulose  Shield  Fern. 
They  abound  along  the  roadsides  and  in  partially 
shaded  or  open  pastures,  the  spores  ripening  not 
earlier  than  August. 

In  the  same  month  we  find  in  full  maturity  three 
interesting  wood  ferns,  all  belonging  to  the  same 
group.  The  first  of  these  is  the  Long  Beech  Fern. 


21 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


It  is  abundant  in  many  of  our  northern  woods  and 
on  the  rocky  banks  of  streams.  Its  shape  is  notice- 
ably triangular,  the  triangle  being  longer  than 
broad.  Its  texture  is  rather  soft  and  downy.  The 
lowest  pair  of  pinnae  stand 
forward  and  are  conspicu- 
ously deflexed,  giving  an  easy 
clew  to  the  plant’s  identity. 

The  most  attractive  mem- 
ber of  the  group  to  my  mind 
is  the  Oak  Fern.  I find  it 
growing  abundantly  in  the 
cedar  swamps  and  wet  woods 
of  somewhat  northern  locali- 
ties. Its  delicate,  spreading, 


three  - branched  frond 
suggests  that  of  a 
young  Brake.  This  plant  is  pecul- 
iarly dainty  in  the  early  summer,  as  frt 
quently  later  in  the  year  it  becomes 
blotched  and  disfigured. 

The  Broad  Beech  Fern  seeks  drier  neighbor- 
hoods, and  often  a more  southern  locality  than  its 
two  kinsmen.  Its  triangular  fronds,  broader  than 


22 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


they  are  long,  are  conspicuous  on  account  of  the 
unusual  size  of  the  lowest  pair  of  pinnae. 

A common  plant  in  the  rich  August  woods  is  the 
Virginia  Grape  Fern,  with  its  spreading  leaf  and 
branching  fruit-cluster.  The  rather  coarsely  cut 
fronds  of  the  Silvery  Spleenwort  are  also  frequently 
met  with  in  the  same  neighborhood.  Occasionally 
in  their  companionship  we  find  the  delicate  and 
attractive  Narrow-leaved  Spleenwort. 

August  is  the  month  that  should  be  chosen  for  ex- 
peditions in  search  of  some  of  our  rarest  ferns.  In 
certain  wild  ravines  of  Central  New  York,  at  the 
foot  of  shaded  limestone  cliffs,  the  glossy  leaves  of 
the  Hart’s  Tongue  are  actually  weighed  down  by 
the  brown,  velvety  rows  of  sporangia  which  emboss 
their  lower  surfaces.  Over  the  rocks  near-by,  the 
quaint,  though  less  unusual,  Walking  Leaf  runs  riot. 
Perhaps  in  the  crevices  of  the  overhanging  cliff  the 
little  Rue  Spleenwort  has  secured  a foothold  for  its 
tiny  fronds,  their  backs  nearly  covered  with  con- 
fluent fruit-dots. 

On  the  mountain-ledges  of  Northern  New  Eng- 
land we  should  look  for  the  Green  Spleenwort,  and 
for  the  Fragrant  Shield  Fern.  Along  rocky  moun- 
tain-streams Braun’s  Holly  Fern  may  be  found.  In 
wet  woods,  usually  near  the  coast,  the  Net-veined 
Chain  Fern  is  occasionally  conspicuous. 

More  southern  localities  must  be  visited  if  we 
wish  to  see  in  its  home  the  Hairy  Lip  Fern,  whose 
most  northern  stations  were  on  the  Hudson  River 
(for  I do  not  know  if  this  plant  can  be  found  there  at 

2 3 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


present),  and  such  rare 
Spleenworts  as  the  Pin- 
natifid,  Scott’s  and  Brad- 
ley’s. 

In  September  the 

fruit-clusters  of  the  lit- 
tle Curly  Grass  ripen 
in  the  low  pine  barrens 
of  New  Jersey.  Over 
moist  thickets,  in  rarely 
favored  retreats  from 
Massachusetts  south- 
ward, clamber  the 
slender  strands  of 
the  Climbing  Fern. 

Thoreau’s  di- 
ary of  Sep- 
tember 26th 

evidently  re- 
fers to  this 

plant : “ The 
tree-fern  is  in 


Ternate  Grape  Fern 


24 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


fruit  now,  with  its  delicate,  tendril-like  fruit,  climb* 
ing  three  or  four  feet  over  the  asters,  golden-rod, 
etc.,  on  the  edge  of  the  swamp.” 

In  moist  places  now  we  find  the  triangular  much 
dissected  leaf  and  branching  fruit-cluster  of  the 
Ternate  Grape  Fern. 

When  October  sets  in,  many  of  the  ferns  take 
their  color -note  from  the  surroundings.  Vying 
with  the  maples  along  the  roadside  the  Osmundas 
wear  deep  orange.  Many  of  the  fronds  of  the  Dick- 
sonia  are  bleached  almost  white,  while  others  look 
fresh  and  green  despite  their  delicate  texture.  On 
October  4th  Thoreau  writes  of  this  plant : 

“ How  interesting  now,  by  wall-sides  and  on  open 
springy  hill-sides,  the  large  straggling  tufts  of  the 
Dicksonia  fern  above  the  leaf-strewn  green  sward, 
the  cold,  fall-green  sward  ! They  are  unusually  pre- 
served about  the  Corner  Spring,  considering  the 
earliness  of  this  year.  Long,  handsome,  lanceolate 
green  fronds  pointing  in  every  direction,  recurved 
and  full  of  fruit,  intermixed  with  yellowish  and  sere 
brown  and  shrivelled  ones,  the  whole  clump  per- 
chance strewn  with  fallen  and  withered  maple  leaves, 
and  overtopped  by  now  withered  and  unnoticed  os- 
mundas. Their  lingering  greenness  is  so  much  the 
more  noticeable  now  that  the  leaves  generally  have 
changed.  They  affect  us  as  if  they  were  evergreen, 
such  persistent  life  and  greenness  in  the  midst  of 
decay.  No  matter  how  much  they  are  strewn  with 
withered  leaves,  moist  and  green  they  spire  above 
them,  not  fearing  the  frosts,  fragile  as  they  are. 

25 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


Their  greenness  is  so  much  the  more  interesting, 
because  so  many  have  already  fallen,  and  we  know 
that  the  first  severe  frost  will  cut  off  them  too.  In 
the  summer  greenness  is  cheap,  now  it  is  a thing 
comparatively  rare,  and  is  the  emblem  of  life  to  us.” 

Oddly  enough,  with  the  first  approach  of  winter 
the  vigorous-looking  Brake  turns  brown  and  quickly 
withers,  usually  without  passing  through  any  inter- 
mediate gradations  of  yellow. 

In  November  we  notice  chiefly  the  evergreen 
ferns.  The  great  round  fruit-dots  of  the  Polypody 
show  distinctly  through  the  fronds  as  they  stand 
erect  in  the  sunlight.  A sober  green,  looking  as 
though  it  were  warranted  fast,  is  the  winter  dress 
of  the  Evergreen  Wood  Fern.  The  Christmas  Fern, 
bright  and  glossy,  reminds  one  that  the  holiday 
season  is  not  distant.  These  three  plants  are  espe- 
cially conspicuous  in  our  late  autumn  woods.  Their 
brave  and  cheerful  endurance  is  always  a delight. 
Later  in  the  season  the  curled  pinnae  of  the  Poly- 
pody seem  to  be  making  the  best  of  cold  weather. 
The  fronds  of  the  Christmas  Fern  and  the  Evergreen 
Wood  Fern,  still  fresh  and  green,  lie  prostrate  on 
the  ground,  their  weakened  stems  apparently  unable 
to  support  them  erect,  but  undoubtedly  in  this  posi- 
tion they  are  the  better  protected  from  the  storm 
and  stress  of  winter. 

Many  other  ferns  are  more  or  less  evergreen,  but 
perhaps  none  are  so  important  to  our  fall  rambles 
as  this  sturdy  group.  Several  of  the  Rock  Spleen- 
worts  are  evergreen,  but  their  ordinarily  diminutive 

26 


WHEN  AND  WHERE  TO  FIND  FERNS 


stature  dwindles  with  the  increasing  cold,  and  we 
seldom  encounter  them  on  our  winter  walks.  The 
sterile  fronds  of  a number  of  the  Shield  Ferns  endure 
till  spring.  The  Purple  Cliff  Brake  and  the  Walk- 
ing Leaf  are  also  proof  against  ice  and  snow.  Even 
in  the  middle  of  January  the  keen-eyed  fern  hunter 
may  hope  to  make  some  discovery  of  interest  re- 
garding  the  haunts  and  habits  of  his  favorites. 


Evergreen  Wood  Fern 


27 


Polypody 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS 

A fern  is  a flowerless  plant 
growing  from  a rootstock  ( a ),  with 
leaves  or  fronds  usually  raised  on 
a stalk,  rolled  up  (b)  in  the  bud,* 
and  bearing  on  their  lower  surfaces 
(c)  the  spores , by  means  of  which 
the  plant  reproduces. 

A rootstock  is  an  underground, 
rooting  stem.  Ferns  are  propa- 
gated  by  the  growth  and  budding 
of  the  rootstock  as  well  as  by  the 
ordinary  method  of  reproduction. 
The  fronds  spring  from  the  root- 
stock  in  the  manner  peculiar  to 
the  species  to  which  they  belong.  The 
Osmundas,  the  Evergreen  Wood  Fern, 
and  others  grow  in  a crown  or  circle, 
tne  younger  fronds  always  inside. 
The  Mountain  Spleenwort  is  one  of 
a class  which  has  irregularly  clus- 

* Ophioglossum  and  the  Botrychiutns,  not  being 
true  ferns,  are  exceptions. 

28 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS 


tered  fronds.  The  fronds  of  the  Brake  are  more 
or  less  solitary,  rising  from  distinct  and  somewhat 
distant  portions  of  the  rootstock.  The  Botrychiums 
usually  give  birth  to  a single  frond  each  season,  the 
base  of  the  stalk  containing  the  bud  for  the  suc- 
ceeding year. 


Fig.  i 


A frond  is  simple  when  it  consists  of  an  undivided 
leaf  such  as  that  of  the  Hart’s  Tongue  or  of  the 
Walking  Leaf  (Fig.  i). 

A frond  is  pinnatifid  when  cut  so  as  to  form 
lobes  extending  half-way  or  more  to  the  midvein 
(Fig.  2). 


*9 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS 


A frond  is  once-pinnate  when  the  incisions  extend 
to  the  midvein  (Fig.  3).  Under  these  conditions 

the  midvein  is  called 
the  rachis  (a),  and  the 
divisions  are  called  the 
pinna  ( b ). 

A frond  is  twice-pin- 
nate  when  the  pinnae 
are  cut  into  divisions 
which  extend  to  their 
mid  veins  (Fig.  4). 
These  divisions  of  the 
pinnae  are  called  pin- 
nules (a). 

A frond  that  is  only  once-pinnate  may  seem  at 
first  glance  twice-pinnate,  as  its  pinnae  may  be  so 
deeply  lobed  or  pinnatitid  as  to  require 
a close  examination  to  convince  us  that 
the  lobes  come  short  of  the  midvein 
of  the  pinnae.  In  a popular  hand-book 
it  is  not  thought  necessary  to  explain 
further  modifications. 

The  veins  of  a fern  are  free  when, 
branching  from  the  midvein,  they  do  not  unite  with 
other  veins  (Fig.  5). 

Ferns  produce  spores  (Fig.  6)  instead  of 
seeds.  These  spores  are  collected  in  spore- 
cases  or  sporangia  (Fig.  7).  Usually  the 
sporangia  are  clustered  in  dots  or  lines  on 
the  back  of  a frond  or  along  its  margins. 
These  patches  of  sporangia  are  called  sori  or  fruit- 

30 


Fig.  6 


Fig.  5 


EXPLANATION  OF  TERMS 


dots.  They  take  various  shapes  in  the  different 
species.  They  may  be  round  or  linear  or  oblong 
or  kidney-shaped  or  curved.  At  times  they  are 
naked,  but  more  frequently  they  are  covered  by  a 
minute  outgrowth  of  the  frond  or 
by  its  reflexed  margin.  This  cov- 
ering is  called  the  indusium.  In 
systematic  botanies  the  indusia 
play  an  important  part  in  deter- 
mining genera.  But  as  often  they 
are  so  minute  as  to  be  almost  in- 
visible to  the  naked  eye,  and,  as 
frequently  they  wither  away  early 
in  the  season,  I place  little  dependence  upon  them 
as  a means  of  popular  identification. 

A fertile  frond  is  one  which  bears  spores. 

A sterile  frond  is  one  without  spores. 


3i 


FERTILIZATION,  DEVELOPMENT,  AND 
FRUCTIFICATION  OF  FERNS 

Until  very  recently  the  development  of  ferns, 
their  methods  of  fertilization  and  fructification  have 
been  shrouded  in  mystery.  At  one  period  it  was 
believed  that  “ fern-seed,”  as  the  fern-spores  were 
called,  possessed  various  miraculous  powers.  These 
were  touched  upon  frequently  by  the  early  poets. 
In  Shakespeare’s  “ Henry  IV  ” Gadshill  exclaims: 

“We  have  the  receipt  of  fern-seed,  we  walk  invisible." 

He  is  met  with  the  rejoinder: 

“ Nay,  I think  rather  you  are  more  beholden  to  the  night  than  to 
fern-seed,  for  your  walking  invisible." 

One  of  Ben  Jonson’s  characters  expresses  the 
same  idea  in  much  the  same  words: 

“ I had  no  medicine,  sir,  to  walk  invisible, 

No  fern-seed  in  my  pocket.” 

In  Butler’s  “Hudibras”  reference  is  made  to  the 
anxieties  we  needlessly  create  for  ourselves: 

“ That  spring  like  fern,  that  infant  weed, 

Equivocally  without  seed, 

And  have  no  possible  foundation 
But  merely  in  th’  imagination.” 


FERTILIZATION,  DEVELOPMENT,  AND  FRUCTIFICATION 


In  view  of  the  fact  that  many  ferns  bear  their 
spores  or  “ fern-seed  ” somewhat  conspicuously  on 
the  lower  surfaces  of  their  fronds,  it  seems  proba- 
ble that  the  “ fern  ” of  early  writers  was  our  com- 
mon Brake,  the  fructification  of  which  is  more  than 
usually  obscure,  its  sporangia  or  “fern-seed”  being 
concealed  till  full  maturity  by  the  reflexed  margin 
of  its  frond.  This  plant  is,  perhaps,  the  most  abun- 
dant and  conspicuous  of  English  ferns.  Miss  Pratt 
believes  it  to  be  the  “ fearn  ” of  the  Anglo-Saxons, 
and  says  that  to 
its  profusion  in 
their  neighbor- 
hood many  towns 
and  hamlets,  such 
as  Fearnborough 
or  Farnborough, 

Farningham, 

F a r n h o w , and 
others  owe  their 
titles.  The  plant 
is  a noticeable  and 
common  one  also 
on  the  Continent. 

In  1848  the  de- 
velopment of  the  fern  was  first  satisfactorily  ex- 
plained. It  was  then  shown  that  these  plants  pass 
through  what  has  been  called,  not  altogether  hap- 
pily the  modern  botanist  thinks,  an  “alternation  of 
generations.”  One  “generation,”  the  “sexual,”  con- 
sists of  a tiny,  green,  plate-like  object,  termed  the 

33 


— An 


FERTILIZATION,  DEVELOPMENT,  AND  FRUCTIFICATION 


prothallium  { Fig.  8).  This  is  connected  with  the  soil 
by  hair-like  roots.  On  its  lower  surface  are  borne 
usually  both  the  reproductive  organs  of  the  fern, 
the  antJieridia,  corresponding  to  the  stamens  or 
fertilizing  organs  of  the  flower,  and  the  archegonia, 
performing  the  office  of  the  flower’s  pistils,  inas- 
much as  their  germ-cells  receive  the  fertilizing  sub- 
stance produced  by  the  antJieridia.  But  no  seeds 
are  formed  as  the  result  of  this  fertilization.  Instead 
of  this  seed-formation  which  we  note  in  the  flower- 
ing plant,  the  germ-cell  in  the  fern  develops  into  a 
fern-plant,  which  forms  the  “ asexual  ” generation. 

The  first  fronds  of  this  little  plant  are  very  small 
and  simple,  quite  unlike  the  later  ones.  For  a time 
the  plant  is  nourished  by  the  prothallium,  but  as 
soon  as  it  is  sufficiently  developed  and  vigorous 
enough  to  shift  for  itself,  the  prothallium  dies  away, 
and  the  fern  maintains  an  independent  existence. 


Fig.  9 Fig.  10  Fig.  ii 


First  fronds  of  Maidenhair 

Eventually  it  produces  fronds  which  bear  on  their 
lower  surfaces  the  sporangia  containing  the  minute 
spores  from  which  spring  the  prothallia. 

For  our  present  purpose  it  is  enough  to  say  that 
spores  differ  from  seeds  in  that  they  are  not  the  im- 
mediate result  of  the  interaction  of  reproductive 

34 


FERTILIZATION,  DEVELOPMENT,  AND  FRUCTIFICATION 


organs.  They  resemble  seeds  in  that  they  are  ex. 
pelled  from  the  parent-plant  on  attaining  maturity, 
and  germinate  on  contact  with  the  moist  earth. 

Thus  it  is  seen  that  the  life-cycle  of  a fern  consists 
of  two  stages : 

First,  the  prothallium,  bearing  the  reproductive 
organs ; second,  the  fern-plant  proper,  developing 
the  spores  which  produce  the  prothallium. 

Along  the  moist,  shaded  banks  of  the  wood  road, 
or  on  decaying  stumps,  keen  eyes  will  discern  fre- 
quently the  tiny  green  prothallia,  although  they  are 
somewhat  difficult  to  find  except  in  the  green-house 
where  one  can  see  them  in  abundance  either  in  the 
boxes  used  for  growing  the  young  plants,  or  on  the 
moist  surfaces  of  flower-pots,  where  the  spores  have 
fallen  accidentally  and  have  germinated. 

As  the  fertilization  of  the  germ-cell  in  the  arche- 
gonium  cannot  take  place  except  under  water,  per- 
haps the  fact  is  accounted  for  that  ferns  are  found 
chiefly  in  moist  places.  This  water  may  be  only  a 
sufficient  amount  of  rain  or  dew  to  permit  the  anthe- 
rozoids  or  fertilizing  cells  of  the  antheridium  to 
swim  to  the  archegonium,  which  they  enter  for  the 
purpose  of  fertilizing  the  germ-cell. 

It  is  interesting  to  examine  with  a good  magnify- 
ing glass  the  sporangia  borne  on  the  lower  surface 
of  a mature  fertile  frond.  In  many  species  each  spo- 
rangium or  spore-case  is  surrounded  with  an  elastic 
ring,  which  at  maturity  contracts  so  suddenly  as  to 
rupture  the  spore-case,  and  cause  the  expulsion  of 
the  numberless  spores  (Fig.  7). 

35 


NOTABLE  FERN  FAMILIES 


OSMUNDA  (Flowering  Ferns) 

Tall  swamp  ferns,  growing  in  large  crowns,  with  the  fertile  fronds 
or  portions  conspicuously  unlike  the  sterile  ; sporangia  opening  by 
a longitudinal  cleft  into  two  valves, 

ONOCLEA 

Coarse  ferns,  with  the  fertile  fronds  rolled  up  into  necklace- 
like or  berry-like  segments,  and  entirely  unlike  the  broad,  pin- 
natifid  sterile  ones.  Fertile  fronds  unrolling  at  maturity,  allowing 
the  spores  to  escape,  and  remaining  long  after  the  sterile  fronds 
have  perished  ; sporangia  stalked,  ringed,  bursting  transversely. 

WOODSIA 

Small  or  medium-sized  ferns,  growing  among  rocks,  with  1-2 
pinnate  or  pinnatifid  fronds  and  round  fruit-dots ; indusium  thin 
and  often  evanescent,  attached  by  its  base  under  the  sporangia, 
either  small  and  open,  or  else  early  bursting  at  the  top  into  irregular 
pieces  or  lobes  ; sporangia  stalked,  ringed,  bursting  transversely. 

CYSTOPTERIS  (Bladder  Ferns) 

Delicate  rock  or  wood  ferns,  with  2-3  pinnate  fronds  and  round 
fruit-dots;  indusium  hood-like,  attached  by  a broad  base  to  the  in- 
ner side,  soon  thrown  back  or  withering  away ; sporangia  as  above. 

ASPIDIUM  (Shield  Ferns) 

Ferns  with  1-3  pinnate  fronds  and  round  fruit-dots;  indusium 
more  or  less  fiat,  fixed  by  its  depressed  centre ; sporangia  as  above. 

3b 


NOTABLE  FERN  FAMILIES 


PHEGOPTERIS  (Beech  Ferns) 

Medium-sized  or  small  ferns,  with  2-3  pinnatifid  or  ternate 
leaves,  and  small,  round,  uncovered  fruit-dots ; sporangia  as  above. 

WOODWARDIA  (Chain  Ferns) 

Large  and  rather  coarse  ferns  of  swamps  or  wet  woods,  fronds 
pinnate  or  nearly  twice-pinnate ; fruit-dots  oblong  or  linear,  sunk 
in  cavities  of  the  leaf  and  arranged  in  chain-like  rows ; indusium 
lid-like,  somewhat  leathery,  fixed  by  its  outer  margin  to  a veinlet ; 
veins  more  or  less  reticulated  ; sporangia  as  above. 

ASPLENIUM  (Spleenworts) 

Large  or  small  ferns,  with  varying  fronds  and  linear  or  oblong 
fruit-dots ; indusium  straight  or  curved ; sporangia  as  above. 

PELLAiA  (Cliff  Brakes) 

Small  or  medium-sized  rock  ferns,  with  pinnate  fronds  and 
sporangia  borne  beneath  the  reflexed  margins  of  the  pinnae  ; spor- 
angia as  above. 


BOTRYCHIUM  (Moonworts) 

{Belonging  to  the  Fern  Allies) 

Fleshy  plants,  with  fronds  (usually  solitary)  divided  into  a sterile 
and  a fertile  portion,  the  bud  for  the  succeeding  year  embedded  in 
the  base  of  the  stem. 


3i 


HOW  TO  USE  THE  BOOK 


Before  attempting  to  identify  the  ferns  by  means 
of  the  following  Guide  it  would  be  well  to  turn  to 
the  Explanation  of  Terms,  and  with  as  many  species 
as  you  can  conveniently  collect,  on  the  table  before 
you,  to  master  the  few  necessary  technical  terms, 
that  you  may  be  able  to  distinguish  a frond  that  is 
pinnatihd  from  one  that  is  pinnate,  a pinna  from  a 
pinnule,  a fertile  from  a sterile  frond. 

You  should  bear  in  mind  that  in  some  species  the 
fertile  fronds  are  so  unleaf-like  in  appearance  that 
to  the  uninitiated  they  do  not  suggest  fronds  at  all. 
The  fertile  fronds  of  the  Onocleas,  for  example,  are 
so  contracted  as  to  conceal  any  resemblance  to  the 
sterile  ones.  They  appear  to  be  mere  clusters  of 
fruit.  The  fertile  fronds  of  the  Cinnamon  Fern  are 
equally  unleaf-like,  as  are  the  fertile  portions  of  the 
other  Osmundas  and  of  several  other  species. 

In  your  rambles  through  the  fields  and  woods  your 
eyes  will  soon  learn  to  detect  hitherto  unnoticed 
species.  In  gathering  specimens  you  will  take  heed 
to  break  off  the  fern  as  near  the  ground  as  possible, 
and  you  will  not  be  satisfied  till  you  have  seci>r,3d 

38 


HOW  TO  USE  THE  BOOK 


both  a fertile  and  a sterile  frond.  In  carrying  them 
home  you  will  remember  the  necessity  of  keeping 
together  the  fronds  which  belong  to  the  same  plant. 

When  sorting  your  finds  you  will  group  them  ac- 
cording to  the  Guide.  The  broad-leaved  Sensitive 
Fern,  with  its  separate,  dark-green  fruit  cluster, 
makes  its  way  necessarily  to  Group  I.  To  Group 
II  goes  your  pale-fronded  Royal  Fern,  tipped  with 
brown  sporangia.  As  a matter  of  course  you  lay 
in  Group  III  the  leaf-like  but  dissimilar  sterile  and 
fertile  fronds  of  the  Slender  Cliff  Brake.  The 
spreading  Brake,  its  reflexed  margin  covering  the 
sporangia,  identifies  itself  with  Group  IY.  The  ob- 
long fruit-dots  of  the  little  Mountain  Spleenwort 
carry  it  to  Group  V,  while  the  round  ones,  like  pin- 
heads, of  the  Evergreen  Wood  Fern  announce  it  a 
member  of  Group  VI. 

The  different  ferns  sorted,  it  will  be  a simple  mat- 
ter to  run  quickly  through  the  brief  descriptions 
under  the  different  Groups  till  you  are  referred  to 
the  descriptions  in  the  body  of  the  book  of  the 
species  under  investigation. 


39 


GUIDE 


For  the  purpose  of  identification  the  ferns  de- 
scribed are  arranged  in  six  groups,  according  to  their 
manner  of  fruiting. 


GROUP  I 

STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE;  FERTILE 
FRONDS  NOT  LEAF-LIKE  IN  APPEARANCE 

I.  SENSITIVE  FERN 

Onoclea  sensibilis 

Sterile  fronds  usually  large  ; broadly  triangular,  deeply  pinnatifid. 
Fertile  fronds  much  contracted,  with  berry-like  pinnules.  In  wet 
meadows.  P.  54. 

2.  OSTRICH  FERN 

Onoclea  Struthiopteris 

Large.  Sterile  fronds  once-pinnate,  pinnae  pinnatifid.  Fertile 
fronds  contracted,  with  necklace-like  pinnae.  Along  streams  and 
in  moist  woods.  P.  56. 

3.  CINNAMON  FERN 

Osmunda  cinnamomea 

Large.  Sterile  fronds  once-pinnate,  pinnae  pinnatifid.  Fertile 
fronds  composed  of  cinnamon-brown  fruit-clusters.  In  wet  places. 
P.  60. 

4.  CURLY  GRASS 

Schizcea  pusilla 

Very  small.  Sterile  fronds  linear,  grass-like.  Fertile  fronds 
taller,  with  a terminal  fruit-cluster.  In  pine  barrens  of  New 
Jersey.  P.  63. 


40 


GUIDE 


GROUP  II 

FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE,  THE  FERTILE  PORTION 
UNLIKE  THE  REST  OF  THE  FROND 

[The  species  coming  under  the  genera  Botrychium  and  Ophio- 
glossum  may  appear  to  belong  to  Group  I,  as  the  fertile  and  the 
sterile  portions  of  their  fronds  may  seem  to  the  uninitiated  like  sep- 
arate fronds,  but  in  reality  they  belong  to  the  one  frond.] 

5.  ROYAL  FERN 

Osmunda  regalis 

Large.  Sterile  fronds  twice-pinnate,  pinnules  oblong.  Fertile 
fronds  leaf-like  below,  sporangia  in  clusters  at  their  summits.  In 
wet  places.  P.  67. 

6.  INTERRUPTED  FERN 

Osmunda  Claytoniana 

Large.  Sterile  fronds  once-pinnate,  pinnae  pinnatifid.  Fertile 
fronds  leaf-like  above  and  below,  contracted  in  the  middle  with 
brown  fruit-clusters.  In  wet  places.  P.  72. 

7.  CLIMBING  FERN 

Lygodium  palmatum 

Climbing,  with  Iobed,  palmate  pinnae  and  terminal  fruit-clusters. 
Moist  thickets  and  open  woods.  Rare.  P.  75. 

8.  ADDER’S  TONGUE 

Ophioglossum  vulgatum 

Small.  Sterile  portion  an  ovate  leaf.  Fertile  portion  a slender 
spike.  In  moist  meadows.  P.  77. 

9.  RATTLESNAKE  FERN 

Botrychium  Virginianum 

Rather  large.  Sterile  portion  a thin,  spreading,  ternately  di- 
vided leaf  with  three  primary  divisions  ; 1-2  pinnate.  Fertile  por- 
tion a branching  fruit-cluster.  In  rich  woods.  P.  80. 

41 


GUIDE 


io.  TERNATE  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  ternatum  or  dissectum 

Of  varying  size,  very  fleshy.  Sterile  portion  a broadly  triangular, 
ternate,  finely  dissected  leaf,  long-stalked  from  near  the  base  of  the 
stem.  Fertile  portion  a branching  fruit-cluster.  In  moist  mead- 
ows. P.  81. 


II.  LITTLE  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  simplex 

A very  small  fleshy  plant.  Sterile  portion  an  oblong  leaf  more 
or  less  lobed.  Fertile  portion  a simple  or  slightly  branching  spike. 
In  moist  woods  and  in  fields.  P.  82. 

12.  MOONWORT 

Botrychium  Lunaria 

Usually  small,  very  fleshy.  Sterile  portion  divided  into  several 
fan-shaped  lobes.  Fertile  portion  a branching  fruit-cluster.  Mostly 
in  fields.  P.  84. 

13.  MATRICARY  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  matricaricefolium 

Small,  more  or  less  fleshy.  Sterile  portion  ovate  or  oblong, 
once  or  twice  pinnatifid.  Fertile  portion  a branching  fruit-cluster. 
In  grassy  woods  and  wet  meadows.  P.  86. 

14.  LANCE-LEAVED  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  lanceolatum 

Small,  scarcely  fleshy.  Sterile  portion  triangular,  twice-pinnatifid. 
Fertile  portion  a branching  fruit-cluster.  In  woods  and  meadows. 
P.  86. 


42 


GUIDE 


GROUP  III 

FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE  IN 
APPEARANCE,  YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM 
STERILE  FRONDS 

15.  SLENDER  CLIFF  BRAKE 

Pelhea  gracilis 

A small  fern,  1-3  pinnate.  Very  delicate.  Fertile  fronds  taller, 
more  contracted  and  simpler  than  the  sterile,  sporangia  bor- 
dering the  pinnae.  Usually  on  sheltered  rocks,  preferring  lime- 
stone. P.  87. 


16.  PURPLE  CLIFF  BRAKE 

Pellcea  atropurpurea 

Medium  sized,  1-2  pinnate,  leathery.  Fertile  fronds  taller  and 
more  contracted  than  the  sterile,  sporangia  bordering  the  pinnae. 
Usually  on  exposed  rocks,  preferring  limestone.  P.  90. 

17.  CHRISTMAS  FERN 

Aspidium  acrostichoides 

Rather  large,  smooth  and  glossy,  once-pinnate.  Fertile  fronds 
contracted  at  the  summit  where  the  fruit  appears.  In  rocky  woods. 
P.  96. 


18.  NARROW-LEAVED  SPLEENWORT 

A splen  ium  angustifoli um 

Tall  and  delicate,  once-pinnate.  Fertile  fronds  taller  and  narrower 
than  the  sterile.  In  moist  woods  in  late  summer.  P.98. 

19.  NET-VEINED  CHAIN  FERN 

IVoodwardia  angusti/olia 

Large,  fronds  deeply  pinnatifid,  the  fertile  taller  and  more  con- 
tracted than  the  sterile.  In  wet  woods  near  the  coast.  P.  102. 


43 


GUIDE 


GROUP  IV 

FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  PORTION 
OF  THE  MARGIN 

[The  first  clause  bars  out  P.  gracilis  and  P.  atropurpurea , 
which  otherwise  would  belong  to  Group  IV  as  well  as  to  Group 
III.] 


20.  BRAKE 

Pteris  aquilina 

Large  and  coarse,  frond  3-branched,  spreading,  each  branch 
2-pinnate,  sporangia  in  a continuous  line  beneath  the  reflexed  mar- 
gin of  the  frond.  In  dry,  somewhat  open  places.  P.  105. 

21.  MAIDENHAIR 

Adiantum  pedatum 

Graceful  and  delicate,  frond  forked  at  the  summit  of  the  stem, 
2-pinnate,  the  pinnae  springing  from  the  upper  sides  of  the  branches, 
pinnules  one-sided,  their  upper  margins  lobed,  bearing  on  their 
undersides  the  short  fruit-dots.  In  rich  woods.  P.  108. 

22.  HAIRY  LIP  FERN 

Cheilanthes  vestita 

Rather  small,  fronds  2-pinnate,  hairy,  fruit-dots  “covered  by 
the  infolded  ends  of  the  rounded  or  oblong  lobes.”  On  rocks. 
P.  1 12. 


23.  HAY-SCENTED  FERN 

Dicksonia  pilosiuscula 

Rather  large,  pale,  delicate  and  sweet-scented,  fronds  usually 
2-pinnate,  fruit-dots  small,  each  on  a recurved  toothlet  of  the  pin- 
nule, borne  on  an  elevated,  globular  receptacle.  In  moist  thickets 
and  in  upland  pastures.  P.  1 14. 


44 


GUIDE 


GROUP  V 

FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  DOTS 

24.  LADY  FERN 

Asplenium  Filix-fcemina 

Rather  large,  fronds  2-pinnate,  fruit-dots  curved,  often  horse- 
shoe shaped,  finally  confluent.  In  moist  woods  and  along  road- 
sides. P.  1 20. 


25.  SILVERY  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  thelypteroides 

Large,  fronds  once-pinnate,  pinnae  deeply  pinnatifid,  lobes  ob- 
long and  obtuse,  fruit-dots  oblong,  silvery  when  young.  In  rich 
woods.  P.  1 24. 


26.  RUE  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  Ruta-muraria 

Very  small,  fronds  loosely  2-3  pinnate  at  base,  pinnatifid  above, 
fruit-dots  linear-oblong,  confluent  when  mature.  On  limestone 
cliffs.  Rare.  P.  126. 

27.  MOUNTAIN  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  montanum 

Small,  fronds  1-2  pinnate,  fruit-dots  linear-oblong,  often  conflu- 
ent. On  rocks.  P.  130. 

28.  EBONY  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  ebeneum 

Fronds  slender  and  erect,  once-pinnate,  pinnae  eared  on  the  up- 
per or  on  both  sides,,  stalk  and  rachis  blackish  and  shining,  fruit- 
dots  oblong.  On  rocks  and  hill-sides.  P.  134. 


GUIDE 


29.  MAIDENHAIR  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  Trichovianes 

Small,  fronds  once-pinnate,  pinnae  roundish,  stalk  and  rachis 
purplish-brown  and  shining,  fruit-dots  short.  In  crevices  of  rocks. 
P.  136. 

30.  GREEN  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  viride 

Small,  fronds  linear,  once-pinnate,  brownish  stalk  passing  into  a 
green  rachis.  On  shaded  cliffs  northward.  P.  138. 

31.  SCOTT’S  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  ebenoides 

Small,  fronds  pinnate  below,  pinnatifid  above,  apex  slender  and 
prolonged,  stalk  and  rachis  blackish,  fruit-dots  straight  or  slightly 
curved.  On  limestone.  Very  rare.  P.  140. 

32.  PINNATIFID  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  pinnatifidum 

Small,  fronds  pinnatifid,  or  the  lower  part  pinnate,  tapering  above 
into  a slender  prolongation,  stalk  blackish,  passing  into  a green 
rachis,  fruit- dots  straight  or  slightly  curved.  On  rocks.  Rare. 
P.  142. 

33.  BRADLEY’S  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  Bradlcyi 

Small,  once-pinnate,  pinnae  lobed  or  toothed,  stalk  and  rachis 
chestnut-brown,  fruit-dots  short.  On  rocks,  preferring  limestone. 
Very  rare.  P.  144. 

34.  WALKING  FERN 

Camptosorus  rkizophyllus 

Small,  fronds  undivided,  heart-shaped  at  the  base  or  sometimes 
with  prolonged  basal  ears,  tapering  above  to  a prolonged  point 
which  roots,  forming  a new  plant,  fruit-dots  oblong  or  linear,  ir- 
regularly scattered.  On  shaded  rocks,  preferring  limestone.  P.  146. 

46 


GUIDE 


35.  HART’S  TONGUE 

Scolopendrium  vulgare 

Fronds  a few  inches  to  nearly  two  feet  long,  undivided,  oblong- 
lanceolate,  heart-shaped  at  base,  fruit-dots  linear,  elongated.  Grow- 
ing among  the  fragments  of  limestone  cliffs.  Very  rare.  P.  150. 

36.  VIRGINIA  CHAIN  FERN 

IVoodwardia  Virgin ica 

Large,  fronds  once-pinnate,  pinnae  pinnatifid,  fruit-dots  oblong, 
in  chain-like  rows  parallel  and  near  to  the  midrib,  confluent  when 
ripe.  In  swamps.  P.  156. 

GROUP  VI 

FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  USUALLY 
SIMILAR,  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 

37.  NEW  YORK  FERN 

Aspidium  Noveboracense 

Usually  rather  tall,  fronds  once-pinnate,  with  deeply  pinnatifid 
pinnae,  tapering  both  ways  from  the  middle,  margins  of  fertile 
fronds  not  revolute.  In  woods  and  open  meadows.  P.  159. 

38.  MARSH  FERN 

Aspidium  Thelypteris 

Usually  rather  tall,  fronds  once-pinnate,  with  pinnae  deeply  pin- 
natifid, scarcely  narrower  at  the  base  than  at  the  middle,  veins 
forked,  fertile  fronds  noticeable  from  their  strongly  revolute  mar- 
gins. In  wet  woods  and  open  swamps.  P.  160. 

39.  MASSACHUSETTS  FERN 

Aspidiinn  simulation 

Close  to  preceding  species,  rather  tall,  fronds  once-pinnate,  with 
pinnatifid  pinnae  little  or  not  at  all  narrowed  at  base,  veins  not 
forked,  margin  of  fertile  frond  slightly  revolute.  In  wooded  swamps. 
P.  164. 


47 


GUIDE 


CHRISTMAS  FERN 

Aspidium  acrostichoides 
[See  No.  17] 

40.  SPINULOSE  WOOD  FERN 

Aspidium  spinulosum  var.  intermedium 

Very  common,  usually  but  not  always  large,  fronds  oblong- 
ovate,  2-3  pinnate,  lowest  pinnae  unequally  triangular-ovate,  lobes 
of  pinnae  thorny-toothed.  In  woods  everywhere.  P.  166. 

41.  BOOTT’S  SHIELD  FERN 

Aspidium  Boottii 

From  one  and  a half  to  more  than  three  feet  high.  Sterile  fronds 
smaller  and  simpler  than  the  fertile,  nearly  or  quite  twice-pinnate, 
the  lowest  pinnae  triangular-ovate,  upper  longer  and  narrower,  pin- 
nules oblong-ovate,  sharply  thorny-toothed.  In  moist  woods. 
P.  168. 

42.  CRESTED  SHIELD  FERN 

Aspidium  cristatum 

Usually  rather  large,  fronds  linear-oblong  or  lanceolate,  once  pin- 
nate with  pinnatifid  pinnae,  linear-oblong,  fruit-dots  between  mid- 
vein and  margin.  In  swamps.  P.  170. 

43.  CLINTON’S  WOOD  FERN 

Aspidium  cristatum , var.  Clintonianum 

In  every  way  larger  than  preceding  species,  fronds  usually  twice- 
pinnate,  pinnae  broadest  at  base , fruit-dots  near  the  midvein.  In 
swampy  woods.  P.  172. 

44.  GOLDIE’S  FERN 

Aspidium  Goldianum 

Large,  fronds  broadly  ovate  or  the  fertile  ovate-oblong,  once-pin* 
nate  with  pinnatifid  pinnae,  pinnae  broadest  in  the  middle,  fruit-dots 
very  near  the  mid  vein.  In  rich  woods.  P.  175. 

48 


GUIDE 


45.  EVERGREEN  WOOD  FERN 

Aspidiutn  margitiale 

Very  common,  usually  rather  large,  smooth,  somewhat  leathery, 
fronds  ovate  oblong,  1-2  pinnate,  fruit-dots  large,  distinct,  close  to 
the  margin.  In  rocky  woods.  P.  176. 

46.  FRAGRANT  SHIELD  FERN 

Aspidium  fragratis 

Small,  fragrant,  fronds  once-pinnate,  with  pinnatifid  pinnae,  stalk 
and  rachis  chaffy,  fruit-dots  large.  On  rocks  northward,  especially 
near  waterfalls.  P.  178. 

47.  BRAUN’S  HOLLY  FERN 

Aspidium  aculeatum  var.  Braunii 

Rather  large,  fronds  oblong-lanceolate,  twice-pinnate,  pinnules 
sharply  toothed,  covered  with  long,  soft  hairs,  fruit-dots  small.  In 
deep,  rocky  woods.  P.  182. 

48.  COMMON  POLYPODY 

Polypodium  vulgare 

Usually  small,  fronds  somewhat  leathery,  narrowly  oblong,  fruit- 
dots  large,  round,  uncovered,  half-way  between  midvein  and  mar- 
gin. On  rocks.  P.  184. 

HAY-SCENTED  FERN 

Dicksonia  pilosiuscula 
[See  No.  23] 

49.  LONG  BEECH  FERN 

Phegopteris  polypodioides 

Medium-sized,  fronds  downy,  triangular,  longer  than  broad,  once- 
pinnate,  pinnae  pinnatifid ; lowest  pair  deflexed  and  standing  for- 
ward. In  moist  woods  and  on  the  banks  of  streams.  P.  187. 

49 


GUIDE 


50.  BROAD  BEECH  FERN 

Phegopteris  hcxagonoptera 

Larger  than  the  preceding  species,  fronds  triangular,  as  broad  or 
broader  than  long,  once-pinnate,  pinnae  pinnatifid,  lowest  pair  very 
large,  basal  segments  of  pinnae  forming  a continuous,  many-angled 
wing  along  the  rachis.  In  dry  woods  and  on  hill-sides.  P.  1 88. 

Si.  OAK  FERN 

Phegopteris  Dryopteris 

Medium-sized,  fronds  thin  and  delicate,  broadly  triangular,  spread- 
ing, ternate,  the  three  divisions  stalked,  each  division  pinnate,  pin- 
nae pinnatifid.  In  moist  woods.  P.  190. 

S 2.  BULBLET  BLADDER  FERN 

Cystopteris  bulbifera 

Fronds  delicate,  elongated,  tapering  above  from  a broad  base,  2- 
3 pinnate  or  pinnatifid,  bearing  fleshy  bulblets  beneath.  On  wet 
rocks,  preferring  limestone.  P.  194. 

53.  COMMON  BLADDER  FERN 

Cystopteris  fragilis 

Medium-sized,  fronds  thin,  oblong-lanceolate,  2-3  pinnate  or 
pinnatifid.  On  rocks  and  in  moist  woods.  P.  198. 

54.  RUSTY  WOODSIA 

Woods  ia  Ilvensis 

Small,  more  or  less  covered  with  rusty  hairs,  fronds  lanceolate, 
once-pinnate,  pinnae  pinnatifid.  On  exposed  rocks.  P.  200. 

55.  BLUNT-LOBED  WOODSIA 

Woodsia  obtusa 

Small,  slightly  downy,  fronds  broadly  lanceolate,  nearly  twice-pin* 
pate.  On  rocks.  P.  202. 


GUIDE 


56.  NORTHERN  WOODSIA 

IVoodsia  hyperborea 

Very  small,  smooth  or  nearly  so,  fronds  narrowly  oolong-lan^e.?, 
late,  once-pinnate,  pinnae  cordate-ovate  or  triangular-ovate,  5-7 
lobed.  On  moist  rocks.  P.  203. 

57.  SMOOTH  WOODSIA 

VVoodsia  glabella 

Very  small,  smooth  throughout  and  delicate,  fronds  linear,  cnce- 
pinnate,  pinnae  roundish  ovate,  lobed.  On  moist  rocks.  P.  2 06. 


51 


FERN  DESCRIPTIONS 


“Nature  made  a fern  for  pure  leaves.” — Thoreau 


GROUP  I 


STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE;  FERTILE 
FRONDS  NOT  LEAF-LIKE  IN  APPEARANCE 


i.  SENSITIVE  FERN 

Onoclea  sensibilis 

Newfoundland  to  Florida,  in  wet  meadows. 

Sterile  frotids. — One  or  two  inches  to  three  feet  high,  broadly 
triangular,  deeply  cut  into  somewhat  oblong,  wavy-toothed  divi- 
sions, the  lower  ones  almost  reaching  the  midrib,  the  upper  ones 
less  deeply  cut ; stalk  long. 

Fertile  fronds. — Quite  unlike  the  sterile  fronds  and  shorter, 
erect,  rigid,  contracted  ; pinnules  rolled  up  into  dark-green,  berry- 
like bodies  which  hold  the  spore-cases  ; appearing  in  June  or  July. 

This  is  one  of  our  commonest  ferns,  growing  in 
masses  along  the  roadside  and  in  wet  meadows. 
Perfectly  formed  sterile  fronds  are  found  of  the 
tiniest  dimensions.  Again  the  plant  holds  its  own 
among  the  largest  and  most  effective  ferns.  From 
its  creeping  rootstock  rise  the  scattered  fronds 

54 


which  at  times 
wear  very  light 
and  delicate 
shades  of  green. 

There  is 
nothing, 
however, 
specially 
fragile  in 
the  plant’s 
appear- 
ance, and 
one  is  struck  by  the  inappropri- 
ateness of  its  title.  It  is  probable 
that  this  arose  from  its  sensitive- 
ness to  early  frosts. 

Though  one  hesitates  to 
differ  from  Dr.  Eaton,  who 
described  the  fer- 
tile fronds  as  “near- 
ly black  in  color” 
and  said  that  they 
were  “not  very 
common,”  and  that 
a young  botanist 
might  “ search  in 
vain  for  them  for 
a long  time,”  my 
own  experience 
has  been  that  the 
fresh  ones  are 


STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE; 
uKUUr  I FERTILE  FRONDS  NOT  LEAF-LIKE  IN  APPEARANCE 

very  evidently  green  and  neither  scarce  nor  spe- 
cially inconspicuous. 

I have  found  these  fertile  fronds  apparently  full- 
grown  in  June,  though  usually  they  are  assigned  to 
a much  later  date.  They  remain  standing,  brown 
and  dry,  long  after  they  have  sown  their  spores, 
side  by  side  with  the  fresh  fronds  of  the  following 
summer. 

Detail  a in  Plate  I represents  the  so-called  var. 
obtusilobata.  This  is  a form  midway  between  the 
fruiting  and  the  non-fruiting  fronds.  It  may  be 
looked  for  in  situations  where  the  fern  has  suffered 
some  injury  or  deprivation. 

2.  OSTRICH  FERN 

Onoclea  Struthiopteris 

Nova  Scotia  to  New  Jersey,  along  streams  and  in  moist  woods. 

Growing  in  a crown,  two  to  ten  feet  high. 

Sterile  fronds. — Broadly  lance-shaped,  once-pinnate ; pinna 
divided  into  narrowly  oblong  segments  which  do  not  reach  the 
midvein  ; stalk  short,  deeply  channelled  in  front 

Fertile  fronds. — Quite  unlike  the  sterile  fronds,  growing  in  the 
centre  of  the  crown  formed  by  the  sterile  fronds,  shorter,  erect, 
rigid,  with  green,  necklace-like  pinnae  which  hold  the  spore-cases ; 
appearing  in  July. 

I first  found  this  plant  at  its  best  on  the  shore  of 
the  Hoosick  River  in  Rensselaer  County,  N.  Y. 
We  had  crossed  a field  dotted  with  fragrant  heaps 
of  hay  and  blazing  in  the  midsummer  sun,  and  had 
entered  the  cool  shade  of  the  trees  which  border  the 
river,  when  suddenly  I saw  before  me  a group  of 
ferns  of  tropical  beauty  and  luxuriance.  Great 

56 


SENSITIVE  FERN 
a.  Var.  obtusilobata 


*7 


, STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE; 

'-‘ROUP  I FERTILE  FRONDS  NOT  LEAF-LIKE  IN  APPEARANCE 

plume-like  fronds  of  a rich  green  arched  above  m3 
head.  From  the  midst  of  the  circle  which  the} 
formed  sprang  the  shorter,  dark,  rigid  fruit-clusters. 
I was  fairly  startled  by  the  unexpected  beauty  and 
regal  bearing  of  the  Ostrich  Fern. 

This  magnificent  plant  luxuriates  especially  in  the 
low,  rich  soil  which  is  subject  to  an  annual  overflow 
from  our  northern  rivers.  Its  vase-like  masses  of 
foliage  somewhat  suggest  the  Cinnamon  Fern,  but 
the  fertile  fronds  of  the  Ostrich  Fern  mature  in 
July,  some  weeks  later  than  those  of  its  rival.  They 
are  dark-green,  while  those  of  the  Cinnamon  Fern 
are  golden-brown.  Should  there  be  no  fruiting 
fronds  upon  the  plant,  the  Ostrich  Fern  can  be  dis- 
tinguished b)r  the  free  veins  with  simple  veinlets 
(Plate  II,  a)  of  its  pinnae,  the  veins  of  the  Cinnamon 
Fern  being  free  and  its  veinlets  forking  (PI.  Ill,  a), 
and  b)r  the  absence  of  the  tuft  of  rust}7  wool  at  the 
base  of  the  pinnae  on  the  under  side  of  the  frond. 

The  Ostrich  Fern  does  so  well  under  cultivation 
that  there  is  danger  lest  it  crowd  out  its  less  aggres- 
sive neighbors.  It  propagates  chief!)7  b)7  means  of 
underground  runners.  Mr.  Robinson  describes  a 
specimen  which  he  had  planted  in  his  out -door 
fernery  that  crawled  under  a tight  board  fence  and 
reappeared  in  the  garden  of  his  neighbor,  who  was 
greatly  astonished  and  equall}7  delighted  so  unex- 
pectedly to  become  the  owner  of  the  superb  plant. 

The  Ostrich  Fern,  like  its  kinsman  the  Sensitive 
Fern,  occasionally  gives  birth  to  fronds  which  are 
midway  between  its  fruiting  and  its  non-fruiting 

S8 


OSTRICH  FERN 

a Portion  of  sterile  frond  b Fertile  frond 

c Detail,  showing  free  veins  with  simple  veinlets 


59 


GROUP  I 


STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE, 
FERTILE  FRONDS  NOT  LEAF-LIKE  IN  APPEARANCE 


forms.  This  is  specially  liable  to  occur  when  some 
injury  has  befallen  the  plant. 


3.  CINNAMON  FERN 

Osmunda  cinnamomea 


Nova  Scotia  to  Florida,  in  swampy  places.  Growing  in  a crown, 
one  to  five  feet  high. 


Sterile  fronds. — Broadly  lance-shaped,  once-pinnate ; pinna  cut 
into  broadly  oblong  divisions  that  do 
not  reach  the  midvein,  each  pinna 
with  a tuft  of  rusty  wool  at  its  base 
beneath. 

Fertile  fronds. — 
Quite  unlike  the  ster- 
ile fronds,  growing 
in  the  centre 
of  the  crown 
formed  by  the 
sterile  fronds 
and  usually 
about  the  same 
; erect,  with  cinna- 
mon-colored spore-cases. 

In  the  form  of 
little  croziers,  pro- 
tected from  the  cold 
by  wrappings  of 
rusty  wool,  the  fer- 
tile fronds  of  the  Cinnamon  Fern  appear  every- 
where in  our  swamps  and  wet  woods  during  the 
month  of  May.  These  fertile  fronds,  first  dark- 
green,  later  cinnamon-brown,  are  quickly  followed 
and  encircled  by  the  sterile  ones,  which  grow  in 


a tall,  graceful  crown.  The  fertile  fronds  soon 

60 


PLATE  III 


STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE; 

GROUP  I fertile  fronds  not  leaf-like  in  appearance 

wither,  and,  during  the  summer,  may  be  found 
either  clinging  to  the  stalks  of  the  sterile  fronds  or 
lying  on  the  ground. 

The  Cinnamon  Fern  is  often  confused  with  the 
Ostrich  Fern.  When  either  plant  is  in  fruit  there  is 
no  excuse  for  this  mistake,  as  the  cinnamon-colored 
spore-cases  of  the  former  appear  in  May,  wrhile  the 
dark -green  fertile  fronds  of  the  latter  do  not  ripen  till 
J uly.  When  the  fruiting  fronds  are  absent  the  forked 
veinlets  (Plate  III,#)  of  the  Cinnamon  Fern  contrast 
with  the  simple  veinlets  of  the  other  plant  (Plate  II, 
a).  Then,  too,  the  pinnae  of  the  Cinnamon  Fern  bear 
tufts  of  rusty  wool  at  the  base  beneath,  the  remnants 
of  the  woolly  garments  worn  by  the  young  fronds. 

The  plant  is  a superb  one  when  seen  at  its  best. 
Its  tall  sterile  fronds  curve  gracefully  outward,  while 
the  slender  fruit-clusters  erect  themselves  in  the 
centre  of  the  rich  crown.  In  unfavorable  conditions, 
when  growing  in  dry  meadows,  for  instance,  like  all 
the Osmundas, and  indeed  like  most  growing  things, 
it  is  quite  a different  plant.  Its  green  fronds  become 
stiff  and  stunted,  losing  all  their  graceful  curves,  and 
its  fruit-clusters  huddle  among  them  as  if  anxious 
to  keep  out  of  sight. 

Var.  frondosa  is  an  occasional  form  in  which  some 
of  the  fruiting  fronds  have  green,  leaf-like  pinnae 
below.  These  abnormal  fronds  are  most  abundant 
on  land  which  has  been  burned  over. 

The  Cinnamon  Fern  is  a member  of  the  group  of 
Osmundas,  or  “ flowering  ferns,”  as  they  are  some- 
times called,  not  of  course  because  they  really  flower, 

6? 


GROUP  I 


STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE; 
FERTILE  FRONDS  NOT  LEAF-LIKE  IN  APPEaPANCE 


but  because  their  fruiting  fronds  are  somewhat 
flower-like  in  appearance.  There  are  three  species  of 
Osmunda : the  Cinnamon  Fern,  O.  cinnamomea;  the 
Royal  Fern,  O.  regalis;  and  the  Interrupted  Fern,  O. 
Claytoniana.  All  three  are  beautiful  and  striking 
plants,  producing  their  spores  in  May  or  June,  and 
conspicuous  by  reason  of  their  luxuriant  growth  and 
flower-like  fruit  clusters. 

The  Osmundas  are  easily  cultivated,  and  group 
themselves  effectively  in  shaded  corners  of  the 
garden.  They  need  plenty  of  water,  and  thrive  best 
in  a mixture  of  swamp-muck  and  fine  loam. 

4.  CURLY  GRASS 

Schizcca  pusilla 

Pine  barrens  of  New  Jersey. 

Sterile  fronds. — Hardly  an  inch  long,  linear,  slender,  flattened, 
curly. 

Fertile  fronds. — Taller  than  the  sterile  fronds  (three  or  four 
inches  in  height),  slender,  with  from  four  to  six  pairs  of  fruit-bearing 
pinnae  in  September. 

Save  in  the  herbarium  I have  never  seen  this  very 
local  little  plant,  which  is  found  in  certain  parts  of 
New  Jersey.  Gray  assigns  it  to  “ low  grounds,  pine 
barrens,”  while  Dr.  Eaton  attributes  it  to  the  “drier 
parts  of  sphagnous  swamps  among  white  cedars.” 

In  my  lack  of  personal  knowledge  of  Schizcea,  I 
venture  to  quote  from  that  excellent  little  quarter- 
ly, the  Fern  Bulletin , the  following  passage  from  an 


CROUP  I STER1LE  AND  ^RTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  L'NLIKF  •, 

U UU  1 FERTILE  FRONDS  NOT  LEAF-LIKE  IN  APPEARANCE 

article  by  Mr.  C.  F.  Saunders  on  Schizaa  pusilla  at 
home : 

“S.  pusilla  was  first  collected  early  in  this  century 
at  Quaker  Bridge,  N.  J.,  about  thirty-five  miles  east 
of  Philadelphia.  The  spot  is  a desolate-looking 
place  in  the  wildest  of  the  ‘pine  barrens,’  where  a 
branch  of  the  Atsion  River  flows  through  marshy 
lowlands  and  cedar  swamps.  Here,  amid  sedge- 
grasses,  mosses,  Lycopodiums,  Droseras,  and  wild 
cranberry  vines,  the  little  treasure  has  been  col- 
lected ; but,  though  I have  hunted  for  it  more  than 
once,  my  eyes  have  never  been  sharp  enough  to 
detect  its  fronds  in  that  locality.  In  October  of 
last  year,  however,  a friend  guided  me  to  another 
place  in  New  Jersey  where  he  knew  it  to  be  grow- 
ing, and  there  we  found  it.  It  was  a small  open 
spot  in  the  pine  barrens,  low  and  damp.  In  the 
white  sand  grew  patches  of  low  grasses,  mosses, 
Lycopodium  Carolinianum,  L.  inundatum,  and 
Pyxidanthera  barbulata,  besides  several  smaller 
ericaceous  plants  and  some  larger  shrubs,  such  as 
scrub-oaks,  sumacs,  etc.  Close  by  was  a little 
stream,  and  just  beyond  that  a bog.  Although  we 
knew  that  the  Schizaea  grew  within  a few  feet  of 
the  path  in  which  we  stood,  it  required  the  closest 
sort  of  a search,  with  eyes  at  the  level  of  our  knees, 
before  a specimen  was  detected.  The  sterile  fronds 
(curled  like  corkscrews)  grew  in  little  tufts,  and 
were  more  readily  visible  than  the  fertile  spikes, 
which  were  less  numerous,  and,  together  with  the 
slender  stipes,  were  of  a brown  color,  hardly  dis- 

64 


PLATE  IV 


CURLY  GRASS 


65 


TROUP  1 STERILE  AND  FERTILE  FRONDS  TOTALLY  UNLIKE; 
urcuur  1 fERT1LE  PRONDS  not  leaf-like  in  appearance 


tinguishahle  from  the  capsules  of  the  mosses,  and 
the  maturing  stems  of  the  grasses  which  grew  all 
about.  Lying  flat  on  the  earth,  with  face  within  a 
few  inches  of  the  ground,  was  found  the  most  satis- 
factory plan  of  search.  Down  there  all  the  indi- 
vidual plants  looked  bigger,  and  a sidelong  glance 
brought  the  fertile  clusters  more  prominently  into 
view.  When  the  sight  got  accustomed  to  the  minia- 
ture jungle  quite  a number  of  specimens  were  found, 
but  the  fern  could  hardly  be  said  to  be  plentiful, 
and  all  that  we  gathered  were  within  a radius  of  a 
couple  of  yards.  This  seems,  indeed,  to  be  one  of 
those  plants  whose  whereabouts  is  oftenest  revealed 
by  what  we  are  wont  to  term  a ‘ happy  accident,’ 
as,  for  instance,  when  we  are  lying  stretched  on  the 
ground  resting,  or  as  we  stoop  at  lunch  to  crack  an 
egg  on  the  toe  of  our  shoe.  1 know  of  one  excel- 
lent collector  who  spent  a whole  day  looking  for  it 
diligently  in  what  he  thought  to  be  a likely  spot, 
but  without  success,  when  finally,  just  before  the 
time  for  return  came,  as  he  was  half  crouching  on 
the  ground,  scarcely  thinking  now  of  Schizasa,  its 
fronds  suddenly  flashed  upon  his  sight,  right  at  his 
feet.  The  sterile  fronds  of  Schizasa  pusilla  are  ever- 
green, so  that  the  collector  may,  perhaps,  most  read- 
ily detect  it  in  winter,  selecting  days  for  his  search 
when  the  earth  is  pretty  clear  of  snow.  The  sur- 
rounding vegetation  being  at  that  time  dead,  the 
little  corkscrew-like  Ironds  stand  out  more  promi- 
nently.” 


S6 


GROUP  II 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE,  THE  FERTILE 
PORTION  UNLIKE  THE  REST  OF  THE  FROND 


5.  ROYAL  FERN.  FLOWERING  FERN 

Osmunda  regalis 

New  Brunswick  to  Florida,  in  swampy  places.  Two  to  five  feet 
high,  occasionally  taller. 

Sterile  fronds. — Twice-pinnate,  pitince  cut  into  oblong  pinnules. 

Fertile  fronds. — Leaf-like  below,  sporangia  forming  bright- 
brown  clusters  at  their  summits. 

Perhaps  this  Royal  or  Flowering  Fern  is  the 
most  beautiful  member  of  a singularly  beautiful 
group.  When  its  smooth,  pale  - green  sterile 
fronds,  grown  to  their  full  height,  form  a grace- 
ful crown  which  encircles  the  fertile  fronds,  it  is 
truly  a regal-looking  plant.  These  fertile  fronds 

67 


are  leaf- 
like be- 
low, and 
are  tipped 
above  with  their  flower-like 
fruit-clusters. 

Like  its  kinsmen,  the  Royal 
Fern  appears  in  May  in  our 
wet  woods  and  fields.  The 
delicate  little  croziers  uncurl 
with  dainty  grace,  the  plants 
which  grow  in  the  open  among 
the  yellow  stars  of  the  early 
crow-foot,  and  the  white  clus- 
ters of  the  spring  cress 
being  so  tinged  with  red 
that  they  suffuse  the 
meadows  with  warm 
color. 

Though  one  of  our 
tallest  ferns,  with  us  it 
never  reaches  the  ten  or 
eleven  feet  with  which  it  is 
credited  in  Great  Britain. 
The  tallest  plants  I have 
found  fall  short  of  six  feet. 
Occasionally  we  see  large 
tracts  of  land  covered  with 
mature  plants  that  lack  a 

Royal  Fern 

foot  or  more  ol  the  two  leet 

given  as  the  minimum  height.  This  tendency  to 

68 


PLATE  7 


ROYAL  FERN 

a PinnuU  of  Royal  Fern  b Showing  veining 


69 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


depauperization  one  notices  especially  in  dry 
marshes  near  the  sea. 

To  the  Royal  Fern  the  old  herbalists  attributed 
many  valuable  qualities.  One  old  writer,  who  calls 
it  the  “ Water  Fern,”  says  : “ This  hath  all  the  vir- 
tues mentioned  in  other  ferns,  and  is  much  more 
effective  than  they  both  for  inward  and  outward 
griefs,  and  is  accounted  good  for  wounds,  bruises, 
and  the  like.” 

The  title  “ flowering  fern  ” sometimes  misleads 
those  who  are  so  unfamiliar  with  the  habits  of  ferns 
as  to  imagine  that  they  ever  flower.  That  it  really 
is  descriptive  was  proved  to  me  only  a few  weeks 
ago  when  I received  a pressed  specimen  of  a 
fertile  frond  accompanied  by  the  request  to  in- 
form the  writer  as  to  the  name  of  the  flower  in- 
closed, which  seemed  to  him  to  belong  to  the 
Sumach  family. 

The  origin  of  the  generic  name  Osmunda  seems 
somewhat  obscure.  It  is  said  to  be  derived  from 
Osmunder,  the  Saxon  Thor.  In  his  Herbal  Gerarde 
tells  us  that  Osmunda  regalis  was  formerly  called 
“ Osmund,  the  Waterman,”  in  allusion,  perhaps,  to 
its  liking  for  a home  in  the  marshes.  One  legend 
claims  that  a certain  Osmund,  living  at  Loch  Tyne, 
saved  his  wife  and  child  from  the  inimical  Danes 
by  hiding  them  upon  an  island  among  masses 
of  flowering  ferns,  and  that  in  after  years  the 
child  so  shielded  named  the  stately  plants  after  her 
father. 


70 


GROUP  II 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


The  following  lines  from  Wordsworth  point  to 
still  another  origin  of  the  generic  name  : 

“ — often,  trifling  with  a privilege 
Alike  indulged  to  all,  we  paused,  one  now, 

And  now  the  other,  to  point  out,  perchance 
To  pluck,  some  flower,  or  water-weed,  too  fair 
Either  to  be  divided  from  the  place 
On  which  it  grew,  or  to  be  left  alone 
To  its  own  beauty.  Many  such  there  are, 

Fair  ferns  and  flowers,  and  chiefly  that  tall  fern, 

So  stately,  of  the  Queen  Osmunda  named ; 

Plant  lovelier,  in  its  own  retired  abode 
On  Grasmere’s  beach,  than  Naiad  by  the  side 
Of  Grecian  brook,  or  Lady  of  the  Mere, 

Sole-sitting  by  the  shores  of  old  romance.” 

The  Royal  Fern  may  be  cultivated  easily  in  deep 
mounds  of  rich  soil  shielded  somewhat  from  the 
sun. 


7i 


TROUP  II  FUTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 

OKUUr  11  fERT!LE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 

6.  INTERRUPTED  FERN 

Osmunda  Claytoniana 

Newfoundland  to  North  Carolina,  in  swampy  places.  Two  to 
four  feet  high. 

Sterile  fronds. — Oblong-lanceolate,  once-pinnate,  pinnce  cut  into 
oblong,  obtuse  divisions,  'without  a tuft  of  wool  at  the  base  of  each 
pinna. 

Fertile  fronds. — Taller  than  the  sterile,  leaf-like  above  and 
’below,  some  of  the  middle  pinnae  fruit-bearing. 

The  Interrupted  Fern  makes  its  appearance  in 
tlie  woods  and  meadows  and  along  the  roadsides  in 
May.  It  fruits  as  it  unfolds. 

At  first  the  fruiting  pinnae  are  almost  black.  Later 
they  become  golden-green,  and  after  the  spores  are 
discharged  they  turn  brown.  They  are  noticeable 
all  summer,  and  serve  to  identify  the  plant  at  once. 

In  the  absence  of  the  fertile  fronds  it  is  often 
difficult  to  distinguish  between  the  Cinnamon  Fern 
and  the  Interrupted  Fern. 

The  sterile  fronds  of  the  Interrupted  Fern  are 
usually  less  erect,  curving  outward  much  more 
noticeably  than  those  of  the  Cinnamon  Fern.  Then, 
too,  its  pinnae  are  cut  into  segments  that  are  more  ob- 
tuse, and  the  whole  effect  of  the  frond  is  more  stubby. 

But  the  most  distinguishing  feature  of  all  is  the 
tuft  of  rusty  wool  which  clings  to  the  base  of  each 
pinna  of  the  sterile  fronds  of  the  Cinnamon  Fern. 
These  tufts  we  do  not  find  in  the  Interrupted  Fern, 
though  both  plants  come  into  the  world  warmly 
wrapped  in  wool. 

The  Interrupted  Fern  is  a peculiarly  graceful  plant. 

72 


PLATE  V) 


73 


Its  fertile 
fronds, stand- 
ing quite  erect 
below  but  curving 
outward  above  the 
fruiting  pinnae,  are 
set  in  a somewhat 
shallow  vase  formed 
by  the  sterile  fronds, 
which  fall  away  in 
every  direction. 

In  the  fall  the 
fronds  turn  yel- 
low, and 
at  times 
are  so 
brilliant 
that 
they 
^ flood  the 
woods 
with  gold- 
en light. 

Like  the 
other  Os- 
mu  n d a s , 
the  Inter- 
r u p t e d 
Fern  is 
easily  cul- 
tivated. 


Interrupted  Fern 

74 


7.  CLIMBING  FERN.  CREEPING 
FERN.  HARTFORD  FERN 


Lygodium  palmatum 


Massachusetts  and  southward,  in  moist 
thickets  and  open  woods.  Stalks 
slender  and  twining-. 


Fronds. — Climbing  and  twining,  one 
to  three  feet  long,  divided  into  lobed, 
rounded,  heart  - shaped,  short  - stalked 
segments  ; fruit  - clusters , growing  at 
the  summit  of  the  frond,  ripening  in 
September. 


The  Climbing  Fern  is  still  found 
occasionally  in  moist  thickets  and 
open  woods  from  Massachusetts  southward, 
but  at  one  time  it  was  picked  so  reck- 
lessly for  decorative  purposes  that  it  was  almost 


exterminated. 


In  1869  the  legislature  of  Connecticut  passed  for 
its  protection  a special  law  which  was  embodied  in 
zhe  revision  of  the  statutes  of  1875,  “perhaps  the 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


Part  of  fertile  pinnule 


only  instance  in  statute  law,”  Dr.  Eaton  remarks, 
“ where  a plant  has  received  special  legal  protec- 
tion solely  on  account  of  its  beauty.” 

I have  never  seen  the  plant  growing,  but  remem- 
ber that  when  a child  my  home  in  New  York  was 
abundantly  decorated  with  the  pressed  fronds  which 
had  been  brought  from  Hart- 
ford for  the  purpose.  Even  in 
that  lifeless  condition  their  grace 
and  beauty  made  a deep  impres- 
sion on  my  mind. 

Mr.  Saunders  has  described  it 
as  he  found  it  growing  in  com- 
pany with  Schizcea,  in  the  New 
Jersey  pine  barrens  : 

“ Lygodium  palmatum  ...  is  one  of  the  love- 
liest of  American  plants,  with  twining  stem  adorned 
with  palmate  leaflets,  bearing  small  resemblance  to 
the  popular  idea  of  a fern.  It  loves  the  shaded, 
mossy  banks  of  the  quiet  streams  whose  cool,  clear, 
amber  waters,  murmuring  over  beds  of  pure  white 
sand,  are  so  characteristic  of  the  pine  country. 
There  the  graceful  fronds  are  to  be  found,  some- 
times clambering  a yard  high  over  the  bushes  and 
cat-briers  ; sometimes  trailing  down  the  bank  until 
their  tips  touch  the  surface  of  the  water. 

“ The  Lygodium  is  reckoned  among  the  rare 
plants  of  the  region — though  often  growing  in  good- 
sized  patches  when  found  at  all — and  is  getting 
rarer.  Many  of  the  localities  which  knew  it  once 
now  know  it  no  more,  both  because  of  the  depre- 


GROUP  II 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


dations  of  ruthless  collectors,  and,  to  some  extent, 
probably,  the  ravages  of  fire.  The  plant  is  in  its 
prime  in  early  fall,  but  may  be  looked  for  up  to  the 
time  of  killing  frosts.” 


8.  ADDER’S  TONGUE 

Ophioglossum  vulgatum 

Canada  to  New  Jersey  and  Kentucky,  in  moist  meadows.  Two 
inches  to  one  foot  high. 

Sterile  portion. — An  ovate,  fleshy  leaf. 

Fertile  portion. — A simple  spike,  usually  long-stalked. 

The  unprofessional  fern  collector  is  likely  to 
agree  with  Gray  in  considering  the  Adder’s 
Tongue  “not  common.”  Many  botanists,  however, 
believe  the  plant  to  be  “ overlooked  rather  than 
rare.”  In  an  article  on  O.  vulgatum,  which  ap- 
peared some  years  ago  in  the  Fern  Bulletin,  Mr.  A. 
A.  Eaton  writes  : 

“ Previous  to  1895  Ophioglossum  vulgatum  was 
unknown  to  me,  and  was  considered  very  rare,  only 
two  localities  being  known  in  Essex  County,  Mass. 
Early  in  the  year  a friend  gave  me  two  specimens. 
From  these  I got  an  idea  of  how  the  thing  looked. 
On  the  nth  of  last  July,  while  collecting  Habenaria 
lacera  in  a ‘bound-out’  mowing  field,  I was  de- 
lighted to  notice  a spike  of  fruit  in  the  grass.  A 
search  revealed  about  sixty,  just  right  to  collect, 
with  many  unfruitful  specimens.  A few  days  later, 

77 


GROUP  II 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


while  raking  in  a similar  locality,  I found  several, 
within  a stone’s  throw  of  the  house,  demonstrating 
again  the  well-known  fact  that  a thing  once  seen  is 
easily  discovered  again.  On  the  23d  of  last  August, 
while  riding  on  my  bicycle,  I noticed  a field  that 
appeared  to  be  the  right  locality,  and  an  investiga- 
tion showed  an  abundance  of  them.  I subsequently 
found  it  in  another  place.  This  year,  on  May  28th, 
1 found  it  in  another  locality  just  as  it  was  coming 
up,  and  I have  since  found  three  others.  I con- 
sider it  abundant  here,  only  appearing  rare  because 
growing  hidden  in  fine  grass  in  old  mowing  fields, 
after  the  red  top  and  timothy  have  died  out,  and  the 
finer  species  of  Carex  are  coming  in.  A good  in- 
dex plant  is  the  Habenaria  quoted.  I have  never 
found  it  except  when  associated  with  this  plant, 
on  a cold,  heavy  soil.  The  leaf  is  usually  hidden, 
or,  if  not,  is  easily  passed  by  for  Maianthemum  or 
Pogonia.” 

In  the  “ Grete  Herbal”  of  Gerarde  we  read  that 
“the  leaves  of  Adder’s  Tongue  stamped  in  a stone 
mortar,  and  boiled  in  oyle  olive  unto  the  consump- 
tion of  the  juice,  and  until  the  herbs  be  dried  and 
parched  and  then  strained,  will  yeelde  mostexcellent 
greene  oyle  or  rather  a balsame  for  greene  wounds 
comparable  to  oyle  of  S't.  John’s-wort  if  it  do  not 
farre  surpasse  it.” 

It  is  said  that  “ Adder’s  Spear  Ointment,”  made 
from  the  fresh  fronds  of  this  plant  is  still  used  for 
wounds  in  English  villages. 

The  Adder’s  Tongue  was  believed  formerly  to 

78 


PLATE.  Vil 


ADDER'S  TONGUE 


79 


1*3 


GROUP  II 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


have  poisonous  qualities,  which 
not  only  injured  the  cattle  that 
fed  upon  it,  but  destroyed  the 
grass  in  which  it  grew. 


RATTLESNAKE  FERN. 
GINIA  GRAPE  FERN 


VIR- 


Rattlesnake  Fern 


Botrychium  Virginianum 

Nova  Scotia  to  Florida,  in  rich  woods. 
One  or  two  feet  high,  at  times  much 
smaller,  when  it  be- 
comes B.  gracile. 

Sterile  portion. — 
Usually  broader  than 
long,  spreading,  with 
three  main  divisions 
which  are  cut  into  many 
smaller  segments,  thin, 
set  close  to  the  stem 
about  half  way  up. 

Fertile  portion.  — 
Long-stalked,  more  than 
once-pinnate. 


On  our  rambles 
through  the  woods 
we  are  more  likely 
to  encounter  the 
Rattlesnake  Fern 
than  any  other 
member  of  the  Bo - 
trychium  group.  It 
fruits  in  early  sum- 


80 


GROUP  II 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


mer,  but  the  withered  fertile  portion  may  be 
found  upon  the  plant  much  later  in  the  year. 
Its  frequent  companions  are  the  Spinulose  Shield 
Fern,  the  Christmas  Fern,  the  Silvery  Spleenwort, 
and  the  Maidenhair. 


io.  TERNATE  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  ternatum  or  dissection 

Nova  Scotia  to  Florida,  in  moist  meadows.  A few  inches  to  more 
than  a foot  high. 

Sterile  portion—  Broadly  triangular,  the  three  main  divisions  cut 
again  into  many  segments,  on  a separate  stalk 
from  near  the  base  of  the  plant,  fleshy. 

Fertile  portion—  Erect,  usually  considerably 
taller  than  non-fruiting  segment,  more  than  once- 
pinnate. 

Of  late  some  doubt  has  existed  as 
to  whether  B.  ternatum  has  been  act- 
ually found  in  this  country,  although 
the  standard  Floras  give  no  evidence 
of  this  uncertainty.  Dr.  Underwood 
is  convinced  that  the  true  B.  ternatum  Sporangia  of 

. e . Botrychium 

is  found  only  in  Japan  and  China, 
and  that  our  species  is  really  B.  dissectum,  a spe- 
cies, not  a variety.  He  says  that  this  species  is 
very  common  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  City, 
and  thence  southward  and  westward ; that  it  is 
also  found  in  various  parts  of  New  England; 
that  it  reaches  its  fullest  development  in  moist, 

81 


GROUP  II  FERTILE  fronds  partially  leaf-like, 

FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


Part  of  sterile 
portion  of 
B.  dissectum 


shady  woods  ; that  in 
mossy  meadows  of 
New  England  and 
Central  New  York 
the  plant  assumes  a 
more  con- 
t r a c t e d 
habit.  He 
beli  eves 


its  segments 
are  more  apt 
to  be  divided  in  shady 
situations  than  in  open, 
sunny  ground. 

The  Ternate  Grape  Fern  fruits  in  the  fall. 


II.  LITTLE  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  simplex 

Canada  to  Maryland,  in  moist  woods  and  in  fields.  Two  to  four 
inches  high,  rarely  a little  taller. 

Sterile  portion. — Somewhat  oblong,  more  or  less  lobed,  occa- 
sionally 3-7  divided,  usually  short-stalked  from  near  the  middle 
of  the  plant,  thick  and  fleshy. 

Fertile  portioii. — Either  simple  or  once  or  twice-pinnate,  taller 
than  the  sterile  portion. 

This  little  plant  is  sufficiently  rare  to  rejoice  the 
Heart  of  the  fern  hunter  who  is  so  fortunate  as  to 

82 


TERNATE  GRAPE  PERM 


83 


GROUP  I! 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


stumble  upon  it  by  chance  or  to  trace  it  to  its 
chosen  haunts. 

It  is  generally  considered  an  inhabitant  of  moist 
woods  and  meadows,  though  Mr.  Pringle  describes 
it  as  “abundantly  scattered  over  Vermont,  its  habi- 
tat usually  poor  soil,  especially  knolls  of  hill  pas- 
tures,” and  Mr.  Dodge  assigns  it  to  “ dry  fields.” 
It  fruits  in  May  or  June. 

12.  MOONWORT 

Botrychium  Lunaru 

Newfoundland  to  Connecticut  and  Central  New  York,  in  dry 
pastures.  Tt  ee  inches  to  nearly  one  foot  high.  A very  fleshy 
plant. 

Sterile  portion. — Oblong,  cut  into  several  fan-shaped  fleshy 
divisions,  growing  close  to  the  stem  about  the  middle  of  the  plant. 

Fertile  portion. — Branching,  long-stalked,  usually  the  same 
height  as  or  taller  than  the  sterile  portion. 

The  Moonwort  is  another  of  our  rare  little  plants. 
It  grows  usually  in  dry  pastures,  fruiting  in  July. 

Formerly  it  was  accredited  with  various  magic 
powers.  Gathered  by  moonlight,  it  was  said  to 
“ do  wonders.”  The  English  poet  Drayton  refers 
to  the  Moonwort  as  “ Lunary  ” : 

“ Then  sprinkled  she  the  juice  of  rue 
With  nine  drops  of  the  midnight  dew 
From  Lunary  distilling.” 

Gerarde  mentions  its  use  by  alchemists,  who 
called  it  Martagon.  In  the  work  of  Coles,  an  early 
writer  on  plants,  we  read  : “It  is  said,  yea,  and 
believed  by  many  that  Moonwort  will  open  the 

s4 


MOONWORT 


LANCE  LEAVED  GRAPE  FERN 


GROUP  II 


FERTILE  FRONDS  PARTIALLY  LEAF-LIKE, 
FERTILE  PORTION  UNLIKE  REST  OF  FROND 


locks  wherewith  dwelling-houses  are  made  fast,  if 
it  be  put  into  the  keyhole  ; as  also  that  it  will  loosen 
. . . shoes  from  those  horses’  feet  that  go  on  the 
places  where  it  grows.” 

It  is  to  the  Moonwort  that  Withers  alludes  in  the 
following  lines : 

“ There  is  an  herb,  some  say,  whose  vertue’s  such 
It  in  the  pasture,  only  with  a touch 
Unshoes  the  new-shod  steed.” 

13.  MATRICARY  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  matricaricefolium 

Nova  Scotia  to  New  Jersey,  in  woods  and  wet  meadows.  Two 
inches  to  one  foot  high. 

Sterile  portion. — Once  or  twice  divided,  sometimes  very  fleshy, 
growing  high  up  on  the  stem. 

Fertile  portion. — With  several  branched  pinna;. 

This  plant  is  found,  often  in  the  companionship  of 
B.  Virginianum,  in  woods  and  wet  meadows,  not 
farther  south  than  New  Jersey.  It  fruits  in  summer. 

14.  LANCE-LEAVED  GRAPE  FERN 

Botrychium  lanceolatum 

Nova  Scotia  to  New  Jersey,  in  woods  and  meadows.  Two  to 
nine  inches  high. 

Sterile  portion. — Triangular,  twice-pinnatifid,  with  somewhat 
lance-shaped  segments,  hardly  fleshy,  set  close  to  the  top  of  the 
common  stalk. 

Fertile  portion. — Branching. 

Like  the  Matricary  Grape  Fern,  this  plant  is 
found  in  the  woods  and  wet  meadows  from  Nova 

Scotia  to  New  Jersey.  It  fruits  also  in  summer. 

86 


GROUP  III 

FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE  IN 
APPEARANCE,  YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM 
STERILE  FRONDS 

IS.  SLENDER  CLIFF  BRAKE 

Pellcea  gracilis  (P.  Stelleri) 

Labrador  to  Pennsylvania,  usually  on  sheltered  rocks,  preferring 
limestone.  Two  to  five  inches  long,  with  straw-colored  or  pale- 
brown  stalks,  slightly  chaffy  below. 

Fronds. — Delicate,  with  few  pinna  ; pinna,  the  lower  ones  once 
or  twice  parted  into  3-5  divisions,  those  of  the  fertile  frond 
oblong  or  linear-oblong,  sparingly  incised,  of  the  sterile  frond  ovate 
or  obovate,  toothed  or  incised  ; sporangia  bordering  the  pinna  of 
the  fertile  frond,  covered  by  a broad  and  usually  continuous  gen- 
eral indusium,  formed  by  the  reflexed  margin  of  th t pinnule. 

The  first  time  I found  the  Slender  Cliff  Brake 
was  one  July  day  in  Central  New  York,  under  the 
kind  guidance  of  an  enthusiastic  fern  collector.  A 
rather  perilous  climb  along  the  sides  of  a thickly 
wooded  glen  brought  us  to  a spot  where  our  only 
security  lay  in  clinging  to  the  trees,  which,  like  our- 

87 


GROUP  III 


FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE. 
YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 


selves,  had  obtained  doubtful  standing-room.  In  a 
pocket  in  the  limestone  just  above  us  I was  shown 
a very  brown  and  withered  little  plant  which  only 
the  closest  scrutiny  in  combination  with  a certain 
amount  of  foreknowledge  could  identify  as  the 
Slender  Cliff  Brake.  The  season  had  been  a dry 
one  and  the  plant  had  perished,  I fancy,  for  lack  of 
water,  in  spite  of  the  stream  which  plunged  from 
the  top  of  the  cliffs  close  by,  almost  near  enough,  it 
seemed  to  me,  to  moisten  with  its  spray 
our  hot  cheeks. 

Later  in  the  season  I found  more  prom- 
ising though  not  altogether  satisfactory 
specimens  ol  this  plant  growing  in  other 
rocky  crevices  of  the  same  deep  glen, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Maidenhair 
Spleen  wort,  the  Walking  Leaf,  and  the 
Bulblet  Bladder  Fern. 

My  sister  tells  me  that  late  in  August 
on  the  cliffs  which  border  the  St.  Lawrence  River, 
refreshed  by  the  myriad  streams  which  leap  or 
trickle  down  their  sides,  under  the  hanging  roots 
of  trees,  close  to  clusters  of  quivering  harebells 
and  pale  tufts  of  the  Brittle  Bladder  Fern,  the 
Slender  Cliff  Brake  grows  in  profusion,  its  delicate 
fronds  rippling  over  one  another  so  closely  that  at 
times  they  give  the  effect  of  a long,  luxuriant  moss. 
On  most  occasions,  in  these  soft  beds  of  foliage, 
she  found  the  fertile  fronds,  which  are  far  more 
slender  and  unusual  looking  than  the  sterile,  largely 
predominating,  though  at  times  a patch  would  be 


TROUP  in  FERTILE  fronds  uniformly  somewhat  leaf-like, 
UKUUL  111  YET  D1FFER]NG  NOTICEABLY  from  STERILE  FRONDS 


made  up  chiefly  of  the  sterile  fronds.  These  some- 
what  resemble  the  Brittle  Bladder  Fern  in  whose 
company  they  are  seen  so  often. 


Slender  Cliff  Braku 


TROUP  III  FERT1LE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 

U UUr  YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 

1 6.  PURPLE  CLIFF  BRAKE 

Pelltza  alropurpurea 

Canada  to  Georgia  and  westward,  usually  on  limestone  cliffs ; with 
wiry  purplish  stalks. 

Fertile  fronds. — Six  to  twenty  inches  high,  leathery,  bluish-green, 
pale  underneath,  once,  or  below  twice,  pinnate ; pinna , upper  ones 
long  and  narrow,  lower  ones  usually  with  one  to  four  pairs  of 
broadly  linear  pinnules ; sporangia  bordering  the  pinnae,  bright 
brown  at  maturity  ; indusium  formed  by  the  reflexed  margin  of  the 
frond. 

Sterile  fronds. — Usually  much  smaller  than  the  fertile  and  less 
abundant ; pinna  oblong,  entire,  or  slightly  toothed. 

The  Purple  Cliff  Brake  is  one  of  the  plants  that  re- 
joice in  un-get-at-able  and  perilous  situations.  Al- 
though its  range  is  wider  than  that  of  many  ferns, 
this  choice  of  inconvenient  localities,  joined  to  the 
fact  that  it  is  not  a common  plant,  renders  it  likely 
that  unless  you  pay  it  the  compliment  of  a special 
expedition  in  its  honor  you  will  never  add  it  to  the 
list  of  your  fern  acquaintances. 

But  when  all  is  said  we  are  inestimably  in  debt  to 
the  plants  so  rare  or  so  exclusive  as  to  entice  us  out 
of  our  usual  haunts  into  theirs.  Not  only  do  they 
draw  us  away  from  our  books,  out  of  our  houses, 
but  off  the  well-known  road  and  the  trodden  path 
into  unfamiliar  woods  which  stand  ready  to  reveal 
fresh  treasures,  across  distant  pastures  where  the 
fragrant  wind  blows  away  the  memory  of  small 
anxieties,  up  into  the  hills  from  whose  summits  we 
get  new  views. 

Although  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake  grows,  I believe 

90 


PLATE  X 


PURPLE  CLIFF  BRAKE 

a Portion  of  fertile  irond 


91 


CROUP  III  FERTILE  FRONDS  uniformly  somewhat  leaf-like, 
UKUUr  YET  differing  noticeably  from  sterile  FRONDS 

within  fifteen  miles  of  my  home  in  Albany,  I never 
saw  the  plant  until  this  summer  some  hundred  miles 
nearer  the  centre  of  the  State.  During  a morning 
call  I chanced  to  mention  that  I was  anxious  to  find 
two  or  three  ferns  which  were  said  to  grow  in  the 
neighborhood.  My  hostess  told  me  that  twenty-five 
years  before,  on  some  limestone  cliffs  about  eight 
miles  away,  she  had  found  two  unknown  ferns  which 
had  been  classified  and  labelled  by  a botanical  friend. 
Excusing  herself  she  left  me  and  soon  returned  with 
carefully  pressed  specimens  of  the  Purple  Cliff 
Brake  and  the  little  Rue  Spleenwort,  the  two  ferns 
I was  most  eager  to  find.  Such  moments  as  I ex- 
perienced then  of  long-deferred  but  peculiar  satis- 
faction go  far  toward  making  one  an  apostle  of 
hobbies.  My  pleasure  was  increased  by  the  kind 
offer  to  guide  me  to  the  spot  which  had  yielded  the 
specimens. 

One  morning  soon  after  we  were  set  down  at  the 
little  railway  station  from  which  we  purposed  to 
walk  to  the  already-mentioned  cliffs.  We  were  not 
without  misgivings  as  we  followed  an  indefinite  path 
across  some  limestone  quarries,  for  a plant  may 
easily  disappear  from  a given  station  in  the  course  of 
twenty-five  years.  In  a few  moments  the  so-called 
path  disappeared  in  a fringe  of  bushes  which  evi- 
dently marked  the  beginning  of  a precipitous  de- 
scent. Cautiously  clinging  to  whatever  we  could 
lay  hold  of,  bushes,  roots  of  trees  or  imbedded  rocks, 
we  climbed  over  the  cliff’s  side,  still  following  the 
semblance  of  a path.  On  our  left  a stream  plunged 

92 


GROUP  III 


FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 
YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 


nearly  two  hundred  feet  into  the  ravine  below.  Foi 
some  distance  the  eye  could  follow  its  silver  course, 
then  it  disappeared  beneath  the  arching  trees.  On 
our  right,  many  miles  beyond,  through  the  blue  haze 
which  hung  over  the  distant  valley,  we  could  see  the 
lake  to  which  the  stream  was  hurrying. 

We  could  not  surrender  ourselves  with  comfort 
to  the  beauty  of  the  outlook,  as  our  surroundings 
were  not  such  as  to  put  us  altogether  at  ease.  Over- 
head hung  great  rocks,  so  cracked  and  seamed  and 
shattered  as  to  threaten  a complete  downfall,  while 
beneath  our  feet  the  path  which  led  along  the  face 
of  the  cliff  crumbled  away,  so  that  it  was  difficult 
in  places  to  obtain  any  foothold.  Having  passed 
the  more  perilous  spots,  however,  we  became  accus- 
tomed to  the  situation  and  turned  our  attention  to 
the  unpromising  wall  of  rock  which  rose  beside  us. 
From  its  crevices  hung  graceful  festoons  of  Bulblet 
Bladder  Fern,  and  apparently  nothing  but  Bulblet 
Bladder  Fern.  But  soon  one  of  the  party  gave  a 
cry  and  pointed  in  triumph  to  a bluish-green  cluster 
of  foliage  which  sprang  from  a shallow  pocket  over- 
head. Even  though  one  had  not  seen  the  plant 
before,  there  was  no  mistaking  the  wiry  purplish 
stalks,  the  leathery,  pinnately  parted,  blue-green 
fronds,  and,  above  all,  the  marginal  rows  of  bright 
brown  sporangia  peculiar  to  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake. 
Soon  after  we  found  several  other  plants,  all  of  them 
decidedly  scraggly  in  appearance,  with  but  few 
green  fronds  and  many  leafless  stalks.  Occasion- 
ally a small  sterile  frond,  with  broader,  more  oblong 

93 


GROUP  III 


FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 
YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 


pinnae,  could  be  seen,  but  these  were  in  the  minority. 
A number  of  very  young-  plants,  with  little,  heart- 
shaped  leaves  altogether  unlike  the  mature  fronds, 
were  wedged  in  neighboring  crannies. 

As  our  eyes  grew  more  accustomed  to  the  con- 
tour and  coloring  of  the  cliffs,  the  success  of  the 
day  was  completed  by  the  discovery  of  several 
specimens  of  the  little  Rue  Spleenwort  with  tiny 
fronds  flattened  against  the  rock. 

When  next  I saw  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake  it 
seemed  to  me  quite  a different  fern  from  the  rather 
awkward  plant,  the  mere  sight  of  which  I had  wel- 
comed so  eagerly  that  any  unfavorable  criticism  of 
its  appearance  seems  ungrateful. 

Again  it  sprang  from  limestone  cliffs,  even  more 
remote  and  inaccessible  though  less  dangerous  than 
those  where  I saw  it  first.  These  cliffs  were  so 
shattered  in  places  that  the  broken  fragments  lay  in 
heaps  at  their  base  and  on  the  projecting  ledges. 
Here  and  there  a great  shaft  of  rock  had  broken 
away  and  stood  like  the  turret  of  a castle  or  the 
bastion  of  a fort.  Among  the  shattered  fragments 
high  up  on  the  cliff’s  side  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake 
grew  in  a luxuriant  profusion  that  was  amazing  in 
view  of  the  surroundings.  The  rigid,  erect  fronds 
formed  large  tufts  of  greenish-gray  foliage  that,  at 
a little  distance,  so  blended  with  their  rock}'  back- 
ground as  to  be  almost  indistinguishable.  The 
fronds  usually  were  much  more  compound  than 
those  1 had  seen  a few  weeks  before.  The  separate 
plants  had  a vigorous,  bushy  appearance  that  did 

94 


The  unpromising  wall  of  rock  which  rose  beside  us.’ 


GROUP  III 


FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 
YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 


not  suggest  the  same  species.  Many  of 
the  pinnae  were  so  turned  as  to  display 
the  ripe  sporangia,  which  formed  a bright- 
brown  border  to  the  pale,  slender  divis- 
ions. Here,  too,  the  small  sterile  fronds 
were  very  rare. 

Growing  from  the  broken  rocks  in 
among  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake  were  thrif- 
ty little  tufts  of  the  Maidenhair 
Spleenwort.  This  tiny  plant 
seemed  to  have  forgotten  its  shy- 
ness and  to  have  forsworn  its  love 
for  moist,  shaded,  mossy  rocks, 
ft  ventured  boldly  out  upon  these 
barren  cliffs,  exposing  itself  to 
the  fierce  glare  of  the  sun  and  to 
every  blast  of  wind,  and  holding 
itself  upright  with  a saucy  self- 
assurance  that  seemed  strangely 
at  variance  with  its  nature. 

Near  by  a single  patch  of  the 
Walking  Leaf  climbed  up  the  face 
of  the  cliff  while,  perhaps  strang- 
est of  all,  from  the  decaying 
trunk  of  a tree,  which  lay  pros- 
trate among  the  rocks,  sprang  a 
single  small  but  perfect  plant  of 
the  Ebony  Spleenwort,  a fern 
which  was  a complete  stranger 
in  this  locality,  so  far  as  I could 
learn. 


More  compound  frond 
of  Purple  Cl  ff  Brake 


95 


Sterile  frond 


GROUP  III 


FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 
YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 


17.  CHRISTMAS  FERN 

Aspidium  acrostichoides  ( Dryopteris  acrostichoides) 

New  Brunswick  to  Florida,  in  rocky  woods.  One  to  two  and  a 
half  feet  high,  with  very  chaffy  stalks. 

Fronds.— Lance-shaped,  once-pinnate,  fertile  fronds  contracted 
toward  the  summit ; pinna  narrowly  lance-shaped,  half  halberd- 
shaped at  the  slightly  stalked  base,  bristly-toothed,  the  upper  ones 
on  the  fertile  fronds  contracted  and  smaller;  fruit-dots  round, 
close,  confluent  with  age,  nearly  covering  the  under  surface  of  the 
fertile  pinnae ; indusium  orbicular,  fixed  by  the  depressed  centre. 

Of  our  evergreen  ferns  this  is  the  best  fitted  to 
serve  as  a decoration  in  winter.  No  other  fern  has 


early  in  the  spring.  When  we  go  to  the  woods  in 
April  to  look  for  arbutus,  or  to  listen  to  the  first 
songs  of  the  robin  and  the  bluebird,  we  notice  that 
last  year’s  fronds  are  still  fresh  and  green.  Low 
down  among  them,  curled  up  like  tawny  caterpillars, 
are  the  young  fronds.  The  arbutus  will  have  made 
way  for  pink  and  blue  and  white  hepaticas,  for  starry 
bloodroot,  and  for  tremulous  anemones ; thrushes 
and  orioles  will  have  joined  the  robins  and  the  blue- 
birds before  these  new-comers  present  much  of  an 


such  deep-green,  highly  pol- 
ished fronds.  They  need 
only  a mixture  of  red  ber- 
ries to  become  a close  rival 
to  the  holly  at  Christmas- 
time. 


Portion  of  fertile  frond 


Wrapped  in  a garment 
of  brown  scales,  the  young 
fronds  of  the  Christmas 
Fern  are  sent  into  the  world 


appearance.  When 
the  tender,  delicately 
green  fronds  are  first 
unrolled  they  contrast 
strongly  with 
their  polished, 
dark-green, 
leathery  com- 
panions. 

In  this  plant 
the  difference  is  quite 
conspicuous  between 
the  fertile  and  the  sterile  fronds. 
The  sterile  ones  are  shorter  and 
apparently  broader,  while  the  fer- 
tile are  tall,  slender,  and  notice- 
ably contracted  by  the  abundantly 
fruiting  pinnas  near  the  apex. 


97 


Christmas  Far* 


If  we  make  an  expedition  to  the 
woods  early  in  July  we  may,  per- 
haps, find  some  plants  of  the  Nar- 
row-leaved Spleenwort.  At  this 
season  they  are  specially  attract- 
ive, with  smooth,  delicate,  pale-green  fronds,  so  re- 
cently unfolded  as  to  be  full  of  little  undulations, 
which  they  lose  more  or  less  at  maturity,  and 
which  are  as  indicative  of  youth  as  the  curves  and 
dimples  of  a baby. 


18.  NARROW-LEAVED  SPLEEN- 
WORT 

Aspleniiim  angusli folium 

Canada  to  Kentucky,  in  moist  woods.  Two 
to  four  feet  high. 

Sterile  fronds.  — Thin,  smooth,  lance- 
shaped, perishable,  once-pinnate. 

Fertile  fronds. — Taller,  narrower,  longer- 
stalked  ; pinna  more  narrowly  lance-shaped 
than  on  sterile  fronds ; fruit-dots  linear,  a 
row  on  each  side  the  midvein ; indusium 
slightly  convex. 


98 


PLflTE  XI 


TROUP  III  FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 

UKL  U 1 YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 

Late  in  August  the  plant  has  reached  a stately 
height,  perhaps  of  three  or  four  feet.  The  fronds 
are  still  smooth  and  delicate  to  a degree  unusual 
even  in  ferns.  But  they  wear  a deeper  green,  and 
their  texture  seems  a trifle  more  substantial.  Oc- 
casionally, though  rarely  in  the  deeper  woods,  we 
find  a frond  which  is  conspicuously  longer-stalked, 
taller,  narrower  than  the  others,  with  pinnse  more 
distant  and  more  contracted.  A glance  at  its  lower 
surface  discovers  double  rows  of  brown,  linear  fruit- 
dots. 

Though  one  of  the  largest  of  its  tribe,  the  Nar- 
row-leaved Spleenwort  suggests  greater  fragility, 
a keener  sensitiveness  to  uncongenial  conditions, 
than  any  other  of  our  native  ferns.  A storm  which 
leaves  the  other  inhabitants  of  the  forest  almost  un- 
touched beats  down  its  fronds,  tender  and  perish- 
able even  in  maturity. 

This  very  fragility,  accompanied  as  it  is  with 
beauty  of  form  and  color,  in  the  midst  of  the  some- 
what coarse  and  hardy  growth  of  the  August  woods, 
lends  the  plant  a peculiar  charm. 

1 find  it  growing  beneath  great  basswoods,  lichen- 
spotted  beeches,  and  sugar  maples  with  trunks  branch- 
less for  fifty  feet,  soaring  like  huge  shipmasts  into 
the  blue  above. 

Almost  the  only  flowers  in  its  neighborhood,  for 
in  midsummer  wood-flowers  are  rare,  are  the  tiny 
pink  blossoms  of  the  herb  Robert,  that  invincible 
little  plant  which  never  wearies  in  well-doing,  but 
persists  in  flowering  from  June  till  October,  the 

IOO 


GROUP  III 


FERTILE  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 
YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 


violet-blue  heads  of  the  almost  equally  untiring  self- 
heal  and  the  yellow  pitchers  of  the  pale  touch-me- 
not  or  jewel-weed.  This  plant,  a close  relative  of 
the  more  southern  and  better  known  spotted  touch- 
me-not,  grows  in  great  patches  almost  in  the  heart 
of  the  woods.  The  lack  of  flowers  is  somewhat 
atoned  for  by  the  coral  clusters  of  the  red  baneberry 
and  the  black-spotted,  china-like  fruit  of  the  white 
baneberry. 

But  ferns  chiefly  abound  in  these  woods.  Every- 
where 1 notice  the  thin,  spreading  frond  and  with- 
ered fruit-cluster  of  the  Rattlesnake  Fern,  in  my  ex- 
perience the  most  ubiquitous  member  of  the  Botry- 
chium  group.  More  or  less  frequent  are  graceful 
crowns  of  the  Spinulose  Shield  Fern,  slender  shining 
fronds  of  Christmas  Fern,  dull-green  groups  of  Sil- 
very Spleenwort  and  stately  plumes  of  Goldie’s 
Fern.  As  we  draw  near  the  wood’s  border,  where 
the  yellow  sunlit  fields  of  grain  shine  between  the  tall 
maple  shafts,  we  push  aside  umbrella-like  Brakes. 
At  the  very  limits  of  the  woods,  close  against  the 
rails,  grows  the  sweet-scented  Dicksonia. 


IOI 


GROUP  III  FERTI[-E  FRONDS  UNIFORMLY  SOMEWHAT  LEAF-LIKE, 

YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 

19.  NET-VEINED  CHAIN  FERN 

Woodzvardia  angusli folia 

Swampy  places  from  Maine  to  Florida,  in  wet  woods  near  the  coast. 

Sterile  fronds. — Twelve  to  eighteen  inches  high,  pinnatifid  with 
minutely  toothed  divisions  united  by  a broad  wing. 

Fertile  fronds. — Taller  than  the  sterile,  once-pinnate  ; fiimue 
much  contracted ; fruit-dots  in  a single  row  each  side  of  the  sec- 
ondary midribs ; indusium  fixed  by  its  outer  margin,  opening  on 
the  side  next  the  midrib. 

The  Woodwardias  are  associated  in  my  mind 
with  sea-air,  pine-trees,  and  the  flat,  sandy  country 
near  Buzzard’s  Bay,  Mass.  Both 
species  were  met  with  in  one  walk 
not  far  from  the  shore. 

A little  stream,  scarcely 
more  than  a ditch,  divided 
an  open,  sunny  meadow 
from  a bit  of  evergreen 
wood,  and  on  the  steep 
banks  of  this  runlet  grew  the  bright  fronds 
of  Woodwardia  august  1 folia,  giving  at  first 
glance  somewhat  the  impression  of  Ono- 
clea  seusibilis.  The  fronds  of  both  are  de- 
scribed as  pinnatifid,  and  in  this  Wood- 
zuardia  we  find  the  divisions  minutely 
toothed  (a),  giving  them  a rough  outline 
which  is  wanting  in  Onoclea  sensibilis. 

These  are  the  sterile  fronds.  Among  them 
and  taller  than  they  are  the  fertile  fronds 
with  very  narrow  divisions,  covered  on  the  lower 

side  with  the  chains  of  fruit-dots  ( b ). 

102 


PLATE  XI- 


TROUP  III  FERTILE  FRONDS  uniformly  somewhat  leaf-like, 

W YET  DIFFERING  NOTICEABLY  FROM  STERILE  FRONDS 

It  is  a handsome  fern  and  very  satisfactory  to  the 
novice  in  fern  hunting,  because,  taking  fertile  and 
sterile  fronds  together,  it  cannot  be  confused  with 
any  other  species. 

Crossing  the  tiny  stream,  a path  dim  with  the 
shade  of  low,  dense  evergreens  and  soft  and  elastic 
underfoot  from  their  fallen  leaves,  leads  through 
the  woods.  Here  among  the  partridge-vine  that 
runs  over  the  rocks,  growing  from  the  soft,  spongy 
soil,  are  groups  of  the  sterile  fronds  only  of  this 
Woodwardia,  charming  little  clumps  of  fresh  green 
t hat  invite  one  to  dig  them  up  and  plant  them  in 
boxes  or  baskets  for  decorative  purposes. 


104 


GROUP  IV 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  PORTION 
OF  THE  MARGIN 

20.  BRAKE.  BRACKEN.  EAGLE  FERN 

Pteris  aquilina 

Almost  throughout  North  America,  in  dry,  somewhat  open 
places.  One  to  two  feet  high  ordinarily,  occasionally  much  higher. 

Fronds. — Solitary,  one  to  two  feet  wide,  cut  into  three  primary 
divisions  which  are  twice-pinnate,  widely  spreading  at  the  summit 
cf  an  erect,  stout  stalk  ; sporangia  borne  in  a continuous  line 
along  the  lower  margin  of  the  frond  ; indusium  formed  by  the 
reflexed  edge  of  the  frond. 

Of  all  ferns  the  Brake  is  the  most  widely  dis- 
tributed. It  occurs  in  one  form  or  another  in  all 
parts  of  the  world.  With  us  it  grows  commonly 
from  one  to  two  feet  high,  occasionally  higher.  In 
Oregon  it  attains  a height  of  six  or  seven  feet,  in 
the  Andes  of  fourteen  feet. 

It  is  a vigorous  and  often  a beautiful  and  striking 
plant,  growing  abundantly  on  sunny  hillsides  and 
in  open  woods. 

105 


GROUP  IV 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR ; 
SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 


In  the  spring  or  early  summer  its  solitary  spread- 
ing frond,  light-green  and  delicate  in  color,  might 
almost  be  confused  with  the  Oak  Fern.  Later  its 
green  takes  on  a dark,  dull  shade,  and  its  general 
&&L  aspect  becomes  more 

hardy  than  that  of 
any  other  fern. 

The  Brake  is  be- 


lieved to  be  the 
“ fearn  ” of  the  early 
Saxons  and  to  have  given  this  pre- 
fix to  many  English  towns  and  vil- 
lages, such  as  Fearnhow  or  Farn- 
how,  Farningham,  etc. 

It  is  one  of  the  few  ferns  men- 
tioned by  name  in  general  litera- 
ture. In  the  “Lady  of  the  Lake” 
it  is  alluded  to  in  the  song  of  the  heir  of  Armandave : 


Brake 


“ The  heath  this  night  must  be  my  bed, 
The  Bracken  curtain  for  my  head.” 

106 


GROUP  IV 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 


Pteris  esculent  a,  a variety  of  our  Brake,  is  said  to 
have  been  one  of  the  chief  articles  of  food  in  New 
Zealand.  It  was  called  “ fern-root,”  and  in  Dr. 
Thompson’s  “Story  of  New  Zealand”  is  spoken  of 
as  follows  : “ This  food  is  celebrated  in  sons:,  and 
the  young  women,  in  laying  before  travellers  bas- 
kets of  cooked  fern-root,  chant : 

‘What  shall  be  our  food?  Shall 
shellfish  and  fern-root?  That  is 
the  root  of  the  earth  ; that  is  the 
food  to  satisfy  a man  ; the  tongues 
grow  by  reason  of  the  licking, 
as  if  it  were  the  tongue  of  a 
dog.’  ” 

The  titles  Brake  and  Bracken 
are  not  always  confined  to  their 
lawful  owner.  Frequently  they 
are  applied  to  any  large  ferns, 
such  as  the  Osmundas,  or  even  to 
such  superficially  fern-like  plants 
as  Myrica  asplenifolia,  the  so-called 
sweet  fern. 

There  is  a difference  of  opinion 
as  to  the  origin  of  the  plant’s  sci- 
entific name,  which  signifies  eagle 
wing.  Some  suppose  it  to  be  derived  from  the 
outline  of  the  heraldic  eagle  which  has  been  seen 
by  the  imaginative  in  a cross-section  of  the  young 
stalk.  It  seems  more  likely  that  a resemblance  has 
been  fancied  between  the  spreading  frond  and  the 
plumage  of  an  eagle. 

107 


Pinnule  of  Brake  showing 
reflexed  edges 


GROUP  IV 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 
SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 


The  Brake  turns  brown  in  autumn,  but  does  not 
wither  away  till  the  following  year. 


21.  MAIDENHAIR 

Adiantum  pedatum 

Nova  Scotia  to  British  Columbia,  south  to  Georgia  and  Arkansas, 
in  moist  woods.  Ten  to  eighteen  inches  high. 

Fronds. — Forked  at  the  summit  of  the  slender  black  and  pol- 
ished stalk,  the  recurved  branches  bearing  on  one  side  several 
slender,  spreading  pinnate  divisions  ; pinnules  obliquely  triangular- 
oblong  ; spora,7igia  in  short  fruit-dots  on  the  under  margin  of  a lobe 
of  the  frond  ; indusium  formed  by  the  reflexed  lobe  or  tooth  of  the 
frond. 


For  purposes  of  identification  it  would  seem 
almost  superfluous  to  describe  the  Maidenhair,  a 

plant  which  probably  is  more 
generally  appreciated  than 
all  the  rest  of  the  ferns  to- 
gether. Yet,  strangely 
enough,  it  is  confused  con- 
stantly with  other  plants  and 
with  plants  which  are  not 
ferns. 

Perhaps  the  early  meadow  rue 
is  the  plant  most  commonly  mis- 
taken for  the  Maidenhair.  While 
it  does  not  suggest  strikingly  our 
eastern  fern,  its  lobed  and  rounded 
leaflets  bear  a likeness  to  certain  species  native  to 
other  parts  of  the  country,  notably  to  A.  Capillus- 
Veneris,  the  Venus-hair  Fern  of  the  southern  States. 

108 


A pinna  of  Maidenhair 


TROUP  IV  FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

UKUUU  IV  SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 

But  it  is  not  easy  to  convince  a friend  that  he  has 
made  a mistake  in  this  regard.  You  chance  to  be 
driving  by  a bank  overgrown  with  the  early  mead- 
ow rue  when  he  calls  your  attention  to  the  unusual 
abundance  of  Maidenhair  in  the  neighborhood.  To 
his  rather  indignant  surprise  you  suggest  that  the 
plant  he  saw  was  not  Maidenhair,  but  the  early 
meadow  rue.  If  he  have  the  least  reverence  for 
your  botanical  attainments  he  grudgingly  admits 
that  possibly  it  was  not  the  ordinary  Maidenhair, 
but  maintains  stoutly  that  it  was  a more  uncom- 
mon species  which  abounds  in  his  especial  neigh- 
borhood. If  truly  diplomatic  you  hold  your  peace 
and  change  the  subject,  but 
if  possessed  by  a torment- 
ing love  of  truth  which  is 
always  getting  you  into 
trouble,  you  state  sadly  but 
firmly  that  our  northeast- 
ern States  have  but  one  spe- 
cies of  Maidenhair,  and  that 
it  is  more  than  improbable  that  the  favored  neighbor- 
hood of  his  home  (for  it  is  always  an  unusually  rich 
locality)  offers  another.  The  result  of  this  discus- 
sion is  that  mentally  you  are  pronounced  both  con- 
ceited and  pig-headed.  For  a few  weeks  the  plants 
in  question  are  passed  without  comment,  but  by  an- 
other summer  the  rich  growth  of  Maidenhair  is  again 
proudly  exhibited.  Only  in  one  way  can  you  save 
your  reputation  and  possibly  convince  your  friend. 
When  correcting  him,  if  you  glibly  remark  that 

IO9 


Adiantum  pe datum, 
our  northeastern 
Maidenhair,  is  the 
only  species  which  has  been  found  in 
this  part  of  the  country,  that  A.  Capil- 
lus-  Veneris,  the  Maidenhair  which  some- 
what resembles  the  earl}7  meadow  rue, 
can  hardly  be  found  north 
of  Virginia,  while  A.  tenerum 
is  found  only  in  Florida,  and 
A.  emarginatum  is  confined 
to  the  Pacific  coast,  you  will 
have  redeemed  yourself,  not 


Maidenhair 


CROUP  IV  F£RTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR, 

LiKUUr  IV  SP0RAH(GIA  0N  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 

from  the  stigma  of  conceit,  far  from  it,  but  from 
that  of  error.  The  glib  utterance  of  Latin  names 
is  attended  with  a strange  power  of  silencing  your 
opponent  and  filling  him  with  a sort  of  grudging 
belief  in  your  scientific  attainments. 

The  truth  is  that  the  average  layman  who  takes 
an  interest  in  plants  is  as  sensitive  regarding  the 
Maidenhair  as  he  is  about  his  recognition  of  an 
orchid.  By  way  of  warning  what  more  need  be 
said  ? 

Though  the  Maidenhair  has  a wide  range  and 
grows  abundantly  in  many  localities,  it  possesses  a 
quality  of  aloofness  which  adds  to  its  charm.  Even 
in  neighborhoods  where  it  grows  profusely,  it  rarely 
crowds  to  the  roadside  or  becomes  the  companion 
of  your  daily  walks.  Its  chosen  haunts  are  dim, 
moist  hollows  in  the  woods  or  shaded  hill-sides 
sloping  to  the  river.  In  such  retreats  you  find  the 
feathery  fronds  tremulous  on  their  black,  glistening 
stalks,  and  in  their  neighborhood  you  find  also  the 
very  spirit  of  the  woods. 

Despite  its  apparent  fragility,  the  Maidenhair  is 
not  difficult  to  cultivate  if  provided  with  sufficient 
shade  and  moisture. 


GROUP  IV 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 


22.  HAIRY  LIP  FERN 

Cheilanthes  veslita  (C.  lanosa) 

Growing  on  rocks,  Southern  New  York  to  Georgia.  Six  to  fifteen 
inches  high,  with  brown  and  shining  stalks. 

Fronds. — Oblong-lance-shaped,  rough  with  rusty  hairs,  twice- 
pinnate ; pinna  rather  distant,  triangular-ovate,  cut  into  oblong, 
more  or  less  incised  pinnules ; fruit-dots  roundish ; indusium 
formed  by  the  reflexed  margins  of  the  lobes  which  are  pushed  back 
by  the  matured  sporangia. 

Till  a few  years  ago  the  most  northern  station  for 
the  Hairy  Lip  Fern  was  supposed  to  be  within  the 
limits  of  New  York  City.  The  plant  was  discov- 
ered, in  1866  or  1867,  on  Manhattan  Island,  near  Fort 
Try  on,  growing  on  rocks  with  an  eastern  exposure. 
If  one  should  visit  this  station  to-day  he  would  find 
himself  at  196th  Street,  in  the  city  of  New  York, 
some  two  hundred  and  thirty-three  yards  west  of 
the  Kingsbridge  road,  and  I fear  there  would  be  no 
trace  of  this  to  us  rare  fern. 

Since  then  the  plant  has  been  discovered  close  to 
the  Hudson  River  at  Poughkeepsie. 

Its  narrowly  oblong,  dull-green  fronds,  more  or 
less  covered  with  red-brown  hairs,  which  give  it  a 
somewhat  rusty  appearance,  spring  from  the  clefts 
and  ledges  of  rocks. 


PLATE  XIII 


GROUP  IV 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 
SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 


23.  HAY-SCENTED  FERN 

DicksBnia  pilosiuscula  (£>.  punctilobula) 

Two  to  three  feet  high ; hill-sides,  meadows,  and  thickets  from 
Canada  to  Tennessee. 

Fronds. — Ovate-lance-shaped,  long-tapering,  pale-green,  thin 
and  very  delicate  in  texture,  slightly  glandular  and  hairy,  usually 
thrice-pinnatifid  ; pinnce  lance-shaped,  pointed,  repeating  in  minia- 
ture outline  of  frond  ; pinnules  cut  again  into  short  and  obtuse 
lobes  or  segments  ; fruit-dots  each  on  an  elevated  globular  recep- 
tacle on  a recurved  toothlet;  indusium  cup-shaped,  open  at  the 
top. 

In  parts  of  the  country,  especially  from  Connecti- 
cut southward,  the  Hay-scented  Fern  is  one  of  the 
abundant  plants.  Though  not  essentially  a rock- 
loving  plant,  it  rejoices  in  such  rocky,  upland 
pastures  as  crown  many  of  our  lower  mountain 
ranges,  “ great  stretches  of  grayish  or  sage-green 
fields  in  which  every  bowlder  and  outcrop  of  rock 
is  marked  by  masses  of  the  bright-green  fronds 
of  Dicksonia,  over  which  the  air  moves  lazily,  heavy 
with  the  peculiar  fragrance  of  this  interesting  fern.” 
Its  singularly  delicate,  tapering,  pale-green  fronds, 
curving  gracefully  in  every  direction,  rank  it  among 
our  most  beautiful  and  noticeable  ferns.  Often 
along  the  roadsides  it  forms  great  masses  of  feath- 
ery foliage,  tempting  the  weary  pedestrian  or  bi- 
cycler to  fling  himself  upon  a couch  sufficiently 
soft  and  luxurious  in  appearance  to  satisfy  a syba- 
rite. But  I can  testify  that  the  Hay-scented  Fern 
does  not  make  so  good  a bed  as  it  promises. 

Two  years  ago,  during  a memorably  hot  August, 


PLATE  XIV 


HAY-SCENTED  FERN 

a Early  stage  of  fruiting  pinnule 

115 


PRQ.jp  ,v  fertile  and  sterile  fronds  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

J SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 

an  afternoon  drive  over  an  unused  mountain  road 
brought  us  to  a picturesque  spot  where  the  clear 
stream  tumbled  into  a rock-paved  basin,  suggesting 
so  vividly  the  joy  of 

“ the  cool  silver  shock 

Of  the  plunge  in  a pool’s  living  water,” 

that  then  and  there  we  resolved  soon  to  pitch  our 
tent  upon  its  banks.  In  all  respects  it  was  not  a 
suitable  camp  site.  There  were  no  balsams  or  ever- 
greens of  any  kind  available  for  bedding  in  the 
neighborhood,  so  when,  a few  days  later,  we  had 
taken  up  our  quarters  just  above  the  rock-paved 
pool,  we  went  into  our  temporary  back-yard  where 
the  Dicksonia  grew  abundantly  with  its  usual  soft 
and  seductive  appearance,  and  gathered  great  arm- 
fuls for  the  night’s  rest.  I must  frankly  own  that  I 
never  slept  on  so  hard  a bed.  Since  then  I have 
been  more  than  ever  inclined  to  believe  that  ferns 
inhabit  the  earth  chiefly  for  decorative  ends.  In 
the  present  age  they  do  not  lend  themselves  as  once 
they  did  to  medicinal  purposes.  Usually  they  are 
without  culinary  value.  So  far  as  I know  animals 
refuse  to  eat  them  on  account  of  their  acrid  juices. 
And  experience  proves  that  when  used  as  a bed 
they  do  not 

“ medicine  thee  to  that  sweet  sleep 

Which  thou  owedst  yesterday.” 

The  Hay-scented  Fern  is  very  sensitive,  wither- 
ing with  the  early  frosts.  Sometimes  in  the  fall  it 

116 


TROUP  IV  FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
LiKUUr  IV  SpokaNGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 

bleaches  almost  white.  Then  its  slender  fronds 
seem  like  beautiful  wraiths  of  their  former  selves. 

The  Dicksonia,  as  he  always  calls  it,  is  Thoreau’s 
favorite  among  the  ferns.  Its  fronds  are  sweet- 
scented  when  crushed  or  in  drying,  and  to.  their 
fragrance  he  was  peculiarly  sensitive  : 

“ Going  along  this  old  Carlisle  road  . . . road 

where  all  wild  things  and  fruits  abound,  where 
there  are  countless  rocks  to  jar  those  who  venture 
in  wagons;  road  which  leads  to  and  through  a great 
but  not  famous  garden,  zoological  and  botanical,  at 
whose  gate  you  never  arrive — as  I was  going  along 
there,  I perceived  the  grateful  scent  of  the  Dick- 
sonia fern  now  partly  decayed.  It  reminds  me  of 
all  up  country,  with  its  springy  mountain-sides  and 
unexhausted  vigor.  Is  there  any  essence  of  Dick- 
sonia fern,  I wonder?  Surely  that  giant,  who  my 
neighbor  expects  is  to  bound  up  the  Alleghenies, 
will  have  his  handkerchief  scented  with  that.  The 
sweet  fragrance  of  decay  ! When  I wade  through 
by  narrow  cow-paths,  it  is  as  if  I had  strayed  into 
an  ancient  and  decayed  herb  garden.  Nature  per- 
fumes her  garments  with  this  essence  now  espe- 
cially. She  gives  it  to  those  who  go  a-barberrying 
and  on  dark  autumnal  walks.  The  very  scent  of  it, 
if  you  have  a decayed  frond  in  your  chamber,  will 
take  you  far  up  country  in  a twinkling.  You  would 
think  you  had  gone  after  the  cows  there,  or  were 
lost  on  the  mountains.” 

Again  : 

“Why  can  we  not  oftener  refresh  one  another 

117 


GROUP  IV  EERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 

SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 

with  original  thoughts?  If  the  fragrance  of  the 
Dicksonia  fern  is  so  grateful  and  suggestive  to  us, 
how  much  more  refreshing  and  encouraging,  recre- 
ating, would  be  fresh  and  fragrant  thoughts  com- 
municated to  us  from  a man’s  experience  ? I want 
none  of  his  pity  nor  sympathy  in  the  common  sense, 
but  that  he  should  emit  and  communicate  to  me  his 
essential  fragrance  . . . going  a-huckleberrying 

in  the  fields  of  thought,  and  enriching  all  the  world 
with  his  vision  and  his  joys.” 

in  connection  with  this  fern  Thoreau  indulges  in 
one  of  those  whimsical,  enchanting  disquisitions 
with  the  spirit  of  which  you  are  in  complete  accord, 
even  though  you  may  seem  to  contradict  the  letter-. 

“ It  is  only  when  we  forget  all  our  learning  that 
we  begin  to  know.  I do  not  get  nearer  by  a hair's- 
breadth  to  any  natural  object,  so  long  as  I presume 
that  I have  an  introduction  to  it  from  some  learned 
man.  To  conceive  of  it  with  a total  apprehension, 
I must  for  the  thousandth  time  approach  it  as  some- 
thing totally  strange.  If  you  would  make  acquaint- 
ance with  the  ferns,  you  must  forget  your  botany. 
Not  a single  scientific  term  or  distinction  is  the 
least  to  the  purpose.  You  would  fain  perceive 
something,  and  you  must  approach  the  object  to- 
tally unprejudiced.  You  must  be  aware  that  noth- 
ing is  what  you  have  taken  it  to  be.  In  what  book 
is  this  \v  jrld  and  its  beauty  described  ? Who  has 
plotted  the  steps  toward  the  discovery  of  beauty  ? 
You  must  be  in  a different  state  from  common. 

Your  greatest  success  will  be  simply  to  perceive 

n8 


TROUP  IV  FERTILE  APiD  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

UKUUV  IV  SPORANGIA  ON  OR  BENEATH  A REFLEXED  MARGIN 

that  such  things  are,  and  you  will  have  no  com- 
munication to  make  to  the  Royal  Society.  If  it 
were  required  to  know  the  position  of  the  fruit-dots 
or  the  character  of  the  indusium,  nothing  could  be 
easier  than  to  ascertain  it ; but  if  it  is  required  that 
you  be  affected  by  ferns,  that  they  amount  to  any- 
thing, signify  anything  to  you,  that  they  be  another 
sacred  scripture  and  revelation  to  you,  helping  to 
redeem  your  life,  this  end  is  not  so  easily  accom- 
plished.” 


ng 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 

SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT-DOTS 

24.  LADY  FERN 

Asplenium  Filix-famina 

A wood  and  roadside  fern,  growing  in  all  parts  of  the  country 
and  presenting  many  varying  forms.  One  to  three  feet  high, 
with  tufted,  straw-colored,  reddish,  or  brownish  stalks. 

Fronds. — Broadly  lance-shaped,  tapering  toward  the  apex,  twice- 
pinnate ; pinnce  lance-shaped  ; pinnules  oblong-lanceolate,  toothed 
or  incised ; fruit-dots  short,  curved ; indusium  delicate,  curved, 
sometimes  shaped  like  a horseshoe. 

The  Lady  Fern  is  found  in  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. Sometimes  it  forms  a part  of  the  tangle  of  wild, 
graceful  things  which  grow  close  to  the  roadside 
fence.  Again,  in  company  with  the  Silvery  Spleen- 
wort,  the  Evergreen  Wood  Fern  and  the  Spinulose 
Shield  Fern,  forming  perhaps  a background  for 
the  brilliant  scarlet  clusters  of  the  wild  bergamot, 
it  fringes  the  banks  of  some  amber-colored  brook 
which  surprises  us  with  its  swift,  noiseless  flow  as 
we  stroll  through  the  woods. 

The  earliest  fronds  uncurl  in  May.  In  June  the 


PLATE  X* 


Fruiting  pinnule 


121 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT-DOTS 


plant  is  very  graceful  and  pleasing.  When  growing 
in  shaded  places  it  is  often  conspicuous  by  reason 
of  its  bright  pink  or  reddish  stalks,  which  contrast 
effectively  with  the  delicate  green  of  the  foliage. 
But  in  later  summer,  judging  by  my  own  experience, 
the  Lady  Fern  loses  much  of  its  delicacy.  Many 
of  its  fronds  become  disfigured  and  present  a rather 
blotched  and  coarse  appearance. 

This  seems  strange  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the 
plant  is  called  by  Lowe,  a well-known  English  writer, 
the  “ Queen  of  Ferns,”  and  that  it  is  one  of  the  few 
ferns  to  which  we  find  reference  in  literature.  Scott 
pays  it  the  compliment,  rarely  bestowed  upon  ferns, 
of  mentioning  it  by  name: 

“ Where  the  copse  wood  is  the  greenest, 

Where  the  fountain  glistens  sheenest, 

Where  the  morning  dew  lies  longest. 

There  the  Lady  Fern  grows  strongest.” 

In  English  works  devoted  to  ferns  I find  at  least 
two  poems,  more  remarkable  for  enthusiasm  than 
for  poetic  inspiration,  in  its  honor.  I quote  a portion 
of  the  one  which  occurs  in  Miss  Pratt’s  “ Ferns  of 
Great  Britain  and  Their  Allies”: 

“ But  seek  her  not  in  early  May, 

For  a Sibyl  then  she  looks, 

With  wrinkled  fronds  that  seem  to  say, 

‘ Shut  up  are  my  wizard  books  ! ’ 

Then  search  for  her  in  the  summer  woods, 

Where  rills  keep  moist  the  ground. 

Where  Foxgloves  from  their  spotted  hoods. 

Shake  pilfering  insects  round  ; 

122 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT-DOTS 


When  up  and  clambering  all  about, 

The  Traveller’s  Joy  flings  forth 
Its  snowy  awns,  that  in  and  out 
Like  feathers  strew  the  earth  : 

Fair  are  the  tufts  of  meadow-sweet 
That  haply  blossom  nigh ; 

Fair  are  the  whirls  of  violet 
Prunella  shows  hard  by ; 

But  nor  by  burn  in  wood,  or  vale, 

Grows  anything  so  fair 
As  the  plumy  crest  of  emerald  pale, 

That  waves  in  the  wind,  and  soughs  in  the  gale, 

Of  the  Lady  Fern,  when  the  sunbeams  turn 
To  gold  her  delicate  hair.” 

The  other,  which  I give  in  full,  on  account  of  its 
quaintness,  appeared  in  the  Botanical  Looker-out  of 
Edwin  Lees: 

“ When  in  splendor  and  beauty  all  nature  is  crown’d, 

The  Fern  is  seen  curling  half  hid  in  the  ground, 

But  of  all  the  green  brackens  that  rise  by  the  burn, 
Commend  me  alone  to  the  sweet  Lady  Fern. 

“ Polypodium  indented  stands  stiff  on  the  rock, 

With  his  sori  exposed  to  the  tempest’s  rough  shock  ; 

On  the  wide,  chilly  heath  Aquilina  stands  stern, 

Not  once  to  be  named  with  the  sweet  Lady  Fern. 

“ Filix-mas  in  a circle  lifts  up  his  green  fronds 
And  the  Heath  Fern  delights  by  the  bogs  and  the  ponds  ; 
Through  their  shadowy  tufts  though  with  pleasure  I turn, 
The  palm  must  still  rest  with  the  fair  Lady  Fern. 

“ By  the  fountain  I see  her  just  spring  into  sight, 

Her  texture  as  frail  as  though  shivering  with  fright ; 

To  the  water  she  shrinks — I can  scarcely  discern 
In  the  deep  humid  shadows  the  soft  Lady  Fern. 

123 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT-DOTS 


“ Where  the  water  is  pouring  forever  she  sits, 

And  beside  her  the  Ouzel,  the  Kingfisher  flits ; 

There,  supreme  in  her  beauty,  beside  the  full  urn, 

In  the  shade  of  the  rock  stands  the  tall  Lady  Fern. 

“ Noon  burns  up  the  mountain  ; but  here  by  the  fall 
The  Lady  Fern  flourishes  graceful  and  tall. 

Hours  speed  as  thoughts  rise,  without  any  concern, 
And  float  like  the  spray  gliding  past  the  green  Fern.” 


25.  SILVERY  SPLEENWORT 

Asplcnium  thelypteroides  (A.  acrostichoides) 

Canada  to  Alabama  and  westward,  in  rich 
woods.  One  to  three  feet  high. 

Fronds.  — Lance-shaped,  tapering  both 
ways  from  the  middle,  once-pinnate ; pinna 
linear-lanceolate,  deeply  cut  into  obtuse  seg- 
ments ; fruit-dots  oblong ; indusium  silvery 
when  young. 

The  Silvery  Spleenwort  grows 
in  company  with  its  kinsman,  the 
Narrow-leaved  Spleenwort,  and 
also  with  many  of  the  Aspidiums,  such 
as  the  Spinulose  Shield  Fern,  the  Ever- 
green Wood  Fern,  the  Christmas  and 
Goldie’s  Fern.  I find  it  growing  in  large 
patches  in  the  rich  woods,  often  near 
water,  either  in  boggy  ground  or  on  the 
very  edge  of  the  clear,  brown  brook. 
Sometimes  it  is  difficult  to  detect  a single 
fertile  frond  in  a group  of  plants  covering  many 
square  feet  of  ground.  This  is  probably  owing 

124 


Entire  frond 


PLATE  XV. 


CROUP  V EERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

UKUUt^  SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 

to  the  deeply  shaded  situations  which  it  favors,  as 
in  sunny  exposures  I have  noticed  an  abundance  of 
fertile  fronds. 

Its  color  is  a dull  green,  the  silvery  indusia  on  the 
lower  surfaces  of  the  pinnas  giving  the  plant  its  Eng- 
lish title.  Although  usually  its  fronds  are  larger, 
their  outline,  tapering  as  it  does  both  ways  from  the 
middle,  somewhat  suggests  that  of  the  New  York 
Fern.  It  is  readily  identified,  as  the  oblong  or  linear 
fruit-dots  at  once  proclaim  it  a Spleenwort,  and  no 
other  member  of  this  tribe  has  fronds  of  the  same 
shape. 

Although  it  cannot  be  classed  among  the  rare 
ferns,  it  is  absent  from  many  promising  localities, 
and  is  associated  in  my  mind  with  especially  suc- 
cessful expeditions. 


26.  RUE  SPLEENWORT.  WALL  RUE 

Asplenium  Ruta-muraria 

A small  rock  fern,  growing  on  limestone,  Vermont  to  Michigan 
and  southward.  Four  to  seven  inches  long,  with  green,  slender, 
tufted  stalks. 

Fronds. — Triangular-ovate,  smooth,  evergreen,  twice  or  thrice- 
pinnate  below ; pinnce  cut  into  stalked  pinnules ; fruit-dots  con- 
fluent at  maturity,  covering  nearly  the  whole  lower  surface  of  pin- 
nules ; indusium  delicate. 

My  first  acquaintance  with  the  little  Rue  Spleen- 
wort in  its  own  home  dates  back  to  the  memorable 
day  when  we  discovered  the  new  station  for  the 
Hart’s  Tongue. 


126 


WUffE  ■evil 


RUE  SPLEENWOm 


127 


"ROUP  V FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR 

URUU  V SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT-DOTS 

As  I have  already  mentioned  in  my  description  ot 
the  Purple  Cliff  Brake,  on  a chance  morning  call  I 
learned  that  twenty-five  years  before  the  Rue  Spleen, 
wort  and  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake  had  been  found 
on  certain  cliffs  which  overhung  some  neighboring 
falls. 

On  these  very  cliffs  a quarter  of  a century  later 
we  found  a few  specimens  of  each  plant.  The  tiny 
fronds  of  the  Rue  Spleenwort  grew  from  small  fis- 
sures in  the  cliffs,  flattening  themselves  against  their 
rocky  background. 

About  a month  later  we  returned  to  the  spot  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  photographs  of  the  natural 
gallery  where  the  plants  grew.  The  seamed,  over- 
hanging rocks,  the  neighboring  stream  plunging 
nearly  two  hundred  feet  to  the  ravine  below,  the 
bold  opposite  cliffs  showing  here  and  there  through 
their  cloak  of  trees,  and  above  and  beyond  the  smil- 
ing upland  pastures,  the  wood-crowned  hills,  and  the 
haze-softened  valley,  had  left  a picture  in  the  mind 
that  we  hoped  to  reproduce,  however  inadequately, 
by  means  of  the  camera. 

This  morning  we  had  approached  the  cliffs  from 
an  opposite  direction.  In  climbing  a gradual  ascent 
from  the  bed  of  the  stream,  we  found  a plant  of  the 
Rue  Spleenwort  which  was  more  vigorous  and  thrifty 
than  any  we  had  previously  seen.  In  the  single  tuft, 
about  as  large  as  the  palm  of  one’s  hand,  we  counted 
forty-five  green  fronds.  Their  lower  surfaces,  in 
many  cases,  were  covered  with  confluent  fruit-dots. 

The  plant  had  much  the  effect  of  a rather  small  spec 

128 


TROUP  V FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

LiKUUr  SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT- DOTS 

imenof  the  Mountain  Spleenwort.  The  short,  broad 
fronds  were  somewhat  leathery,  with  only  a few  pin- 
nae. Considering  its  lack  of  size,  the  little  cluster, 
springing  from  the  bare  rock,  made  so  definite  and 
interesting  a picture  that  we  tried  to  photograph  it 
as  it  grew.  But  after  some  time  spent  in  striving  to 
secure  a foothold  for  the  tripod,  and  at  the  same 
time  for  the  photographer,  we  gave  up  the  attempt 
as  hopeless. 

In  England  the  Rue  Spleenwort  is  found  growing 
on  old  walls,  specially  on  their  northern  sides,  also 
on  church-towers,  bridges,  and  ruins.  It  is  said  to 
be  difficult  to  cultivate. 

Formerly  this  fern  yielded  a decoction  which  was 
supposed  to  be  beneficial  in  attacks  of  pleurisy  and 
of  jaundice. 


129 


27.  MOUNTAIN 
SPLEENWORT 


Asplenium  monianum 

Connecticut  and  New  York 
to  Georgia.  A small  rock 
fern  from  two  to  eight 
inches  long,  with  stalks 
brown  at  base. 


Fronds.  — Ovate-lanceolate  in  outline, 
somewhat  leathery,  cut  into  oblong  pinnae, 
the  lower  ones  of  which  are  cut  again  into 
more  or  less  oblong,  toothed  divisions,  the  up- 
per ones  less  and  less  divided ; rachis  green, 
broad,  flat;  fruit-dots  linear,  short;  indusium 
thin,  hidden  at  length  by  the  sporangia,  which 
mature  in  July. 


With  us  this  plant  is  decidedly 
rare.  New  York  and  Connecticut 


are  given  as  its  northern  limits.  I 
have  found  it  only  in  one  locality,  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  a mountain  lake  in  Ulster  County,  N.  Y. 
Though  growing  here  somewhat  abundantly,  the 
fern  is  so  small  that,  unless  your  eyes  are  trained  to 
search  every  cranny  in  the  hope  of  some  new  find, 
you  are  not  likely  to  notice  it.  Even  with  trained 
eyes  you  may  readily  fancy  that  the  narrow  chinks 
in  the  cliffs  which  rise  sheerly  from  the  lake  are 
merely  patched  with  moss.  But  when  you  have 
pulled  your  boat  close  under  the  shelving  rocks, 

130 


PLATE  XVII! 


131 


0 A fertile  frond 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 


and  have  secured  a hold  that  enables  you  to  stand 
up  and  examine  at  leisure  the  suspicious  patches, 
your  heart  bounds  with,  delight  as  you  get  a 
near  view  of  the  fringe  of  blue-green,  leathery 
fronds  which  flatten  themselves  against  the  gray 


Mountain  Spleenwort 


cliffs.  Apparently 
only  the  plants  that 
grow  under  specially 
favorable  conditions 
are  able  to  develop  fronds  that  attain  a length 
of  five  or  six  inches.  Only  in  what  must  have 
been  almost  constant  shadow,  under  the  shelving 
rocks,  directly  above  the  lake  and  refreshed 
always  by  its  moisture,  did  1 find  these  really 


In  the  shaded  crevices  of  a cliff 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 


attractive,  thrifty-looking  plants.  The  specimens, 
which  were  located  at  some  distance  from  the 
lake,  growing  in  one  instance  on  top  of  a 
mountain,  again  in  the  shaded  crevices  of  a cliff, 
were  tiny,  indefinite-looking  plants  with  nothing 
to  recommend  them  to  any  eyes  save  those  of 
the  fern  collector.  In  every  instance  they  grew 
from  fissures  in  the  rocks,  rooting  apparently  in  a 
mere  pinch  of  earth,  yet  with  such  tenacity  that  it 
would  have  been  very  difficult  to  extract  a plant 
unharmed.  In  almost  every  case  they  were 
shielded  much  of  the  time  from  exposure  to  the 
sun. 

The  large  plants  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
lake  were  noticeably  bluish-green  in  color. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  few  known  haunts  of 
the  Mountain  Spleenwort  will  be  respected  in  order 
that  this  rare  little  plant  may  be  preserved. 


133 


CROUP  V EERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 

SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 


28.  EBONY  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  ebeneum  (A.  platyneuron) 

Maine  to  Florida  and  westward,  on  rocks  and  hill-sides.  Nine  to 
eighteen  inches  high,  with  blackish  and  shining  stalks. 

Fronds. — Upright,  narrowly  oblanceolate,  fertile  fronds  much 
the  taller,  once-pinnate ; pin?ice  usually  alternate,  oblong,  finely 
toothed,  the  base  auricled  on  the  upper  or  on  both  sides ; fruit- 
dots  many,  oblong,  nearer  midvein  than  margin  ; indusium  silvery 
till  maturity. 

The  slender  fronds  of  the  Ebony  Spleenwort  hold 
themselves  with  a sort  of  rigid  grace  which  suggests 
a combination  of  delicacy  and 
endurance. 

It  is  an  attractive  plant  with 
an  elusiveness  of  habit  which 
serves,  perhaps,  to  increase  its 
charm.  Its  range  is  from  Maine 
to  Florida  and  westward ; it  is 
said  to  prefer  limestone  soil, 
and  my  past  experience  has 
proved  it  a fairly  common  plant,  yet  so  far  this  sum- 
mer, in  many  expeditions  in  a part  of  the  country 
rich  in  limestone,  1 have  found  only  one 
specimen,  while  last  year  along  the  road- 
sides of  Long  Island  I found  its  black- 
stemmed fronds  standing  erect  and  slim 
in  crowded  ranks  under  groups  of  red 
cedars.  In  other  years  it  has  abounded  Fertile  pinna 
in  localities  of  a different  character, 
sometimes  following  its  little  relative,  the  Maiden- 
hair Spleenwort,  into  moist  ravines  or  along 

M4 


PLATE  XIX 


CROUP  V fertile  and  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  and  similar 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 


the  shelves  of  shaded  rocks,  again  climbing  ex- 
posed  hill-sides,  where  its  fresh  beauty  is  always  a 
surprise. 

The  fronds  of  the  Ebony  Spleenwort  usually  face 
the  sun,  even  if  so  doing  necessitates  the  twisting 
of  its  stalk. 

29.  MAIDENHAIR  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  Trichomanes 

Almost  throughout  North  America.  A small  rock  fern,  four  to 
twelve  inches  long,  with  purplish  - brown  and  shining,  thread- 
like stalks. 

Fronds. — Linear  in  outline,  somewhat  rigid,  once-pinnate ; 
pinnce  roundish  or  oval,  unequal-sided,  attached  to  rachis  by  a 
narrow  point,  entire  or  toothed  ; fruit-dots  short,  oblong,  narrowed 
at  the  ends,  three  to  six  on  each  side  of  the  midrib  ; sporangia 
dark-brown  when  ripe  ; indusium  delicate. 

In  childhood  the  delicate  little  fronds  and  dark, 
glistening,  thread-like  stalks  of  the  Maidenhair 
Spleenwort  seemed  to  me  a token  of  the  mysterious, 
ecstatic  presence  of  the  deeper 
woods,  of  woods  where  dark 
hemlocks  arched  across  the 
rock-broken  stream,  where  the 
spongy  ground  was  carpeted 
with  low,  nameless  plants  with 
white-veined  or  shining  leaves 
and  coral-like  berries,  where 
precious  red-cupped  mosses  covered  the  fallen  tree- 
trunks  and  strange  birds  sang  unknown  songs. 

Perhaps  because  in  those  days  it  was  a rare  plant 

'36 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 


to  be  met  with  on  rare  occasions,  in  a spirit  of 
breathless  exultation,  I almost  begrudge  finding  it 
now  on  shaded  cliffs  close  to  the  highway. 

Certainly  it  seems  lovelier  when  it  holds  itself 
somewhat  aloof  from  the  beaten  paths.  One  of  its 
favorite  haunts  is  a y 

mossy  cliff  which  forms 


part  ol  a ra- 
vine of  sin- 
g u 1 a r 
beau  ty. 

Along 
the  base 
of  this  • 
cliff  foams 
a rushing 
stream  on  its  way 
to  the  valley.  Over- 
head stretch  branches  of  hem- 
lock, cedar,  and  basswood. 

On  the  broader  shelves  the  mountain  maple,  the 
silver  birch,  and  the  hobble-bush  secure  a pre- 
carious foothold.  Below  rare  sunbeams  bring  out 
rich  patches  of  color  on  the  smooth,  muscular 
trunks  of  the  beeches.  Close  to  the  water,  per- 
haps, wheel  a pair  of  spotted  sand-pipers,  now 

137 


Maidenhair  Spleenwort 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 


lighting  on  the  rocks  in  order  to  secure  some  in- 
sect, now  tilting  backward  and  forward  with  the 
comical  motion  peculiar  to  them, 
now  gliding  swiftly  along  the 
pebbly  shore  till  their  brown  and 
gray  and  white  coats  are  lost  in 
the  brown  and  gray  and  white  of 
shore,  rock,  and  water. 

In  such  a retreat  as  this  ravine  the  Maidenhair 
Spleenwort  seems  peculiarly  at  home.  Its  tufted 
fronds  have  a fresh  greenness  that 
is  a delight  to  the  eye  as  they  spring 
from  little  pockets  or  crannies  too 
shallow,  we  would  suppose,  for  the 
necessary  moisture  and  nourishment. 

Its  near  companions  are  the  Walk- 
ing Fern,  whose  tapering,  leaf-like, 
blue-green  fronds  leap  along  the 
shelving  ledge  above,  and  the  Bulblet  Bladder  Fern, 
which  seems  to  gush  from  every  crevice  of  the  cliff. 

30.  GREEN  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  viride 

Northern  New  England,  west  and  northward,  on  shaded  rocks. 
A few  inches  to  nearly  a foot  long,  with  tufted  stalks,  brownish 
below,  green  above. 

Fronds. — Linear-lanceolate,  once-pinnate,  pale  green  ; pinna 
ovate,  toothed,  midvein  indistinct  and  forking  ; fruit-dots  oblong  ; 
indusium  straight  or  curved. 

The  Green  Spleenwort  in  general  appearance 
resembles  the  Maidenhair  Spleenwort.  Perhaps 

138 


GREEN  SPLEENWORT 


“CROUP  V FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 

its  most  distinguishing  feature  is  its  stalk,  which, 
though  brown  below,  becomes  green  above,  while 
that  of  its  little  relative  is  dark  and  shining  through- 
out. Its  discovery  on  Mt.  Mansfield,  Vt.,  by  Mr. 
Pringle  gave  it  a place  in  the  flora  of  the  United 

States,  as  is  shown  in  the 
following  passage  from  Mr 
Pringle’s  address  before  the 
Vermont  Botanical  Club: 

“ On  this  first  visit  to  Mt. 
Mansfield  my  work  was  re- 
stricted to  the  crest  of  the 
great  mountain.  About  the 
cool  and  shaded  cliffs  in  front 
of  the  Summit  House  were 
then  first  brought  to  my  view 

Fertile  pinnje  _ J 

Aspidium  fragrans  . . . and 
Asplenium  viride,  . . . for  I was  still  on  my  fern 

hunt.  The  finding  of  the  former  added  a species 
to  the  Vermont  catalogue  ; the  latter  was  an  ad- 
dition to  the  flora  of  the  United  States.  Such  little 
discoveries  gave  joy  to  the  young  collector.” 

31.  SCOTT’S  SPLEENWORT 

A spltnium  ebenoides 

Connecticut  to  the  Mississippi  and  southward  to  Alabama,  on 
limestone.  Four  to  twelve  inches  long,  with  blackish  and 
shining  stalks. 

Fronds. — Lanceolate,  tapering  to  a long,  narrow  apex,  generally 
pinnate  below,  pinnatifid  above;  fruit-dots  straight  or  slightly 
curved ; indusium  narrow. 


140 


PLATE  XXI 


SCOTT'S  SPLEENWORT 

141 


o* 


TROUP  V FERTILE  AND  STER1LL  FRONDS  ..EAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR, 

U uu  SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 

The  known  stations  of  this  curious  little  plant  are 
usually  in  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  Walk- 
ing Leaf  and  the  Ebony  Spleenwort,  of  which  ferns 
it  is  supposed  to  be  a hybrid.  The  long,  narrow 
apex  occasionally  forming  a new  plant,  and  the  ir- 
regular fruit-dots  remind  one  of  the  Walking  Leaf, 
while  the  lustrous  black  stalk,  the  free  veins,  and  the 
pinnate  portions  of  the  fronds  suggest  the  Ebony 
Spleenwort. 

Scott’s  Spleenwort  matures  in  August.  It  is  rare 
and  local,  except  in  Alabama.  The  fact,  however, 
that  it  has  been  discovered  in  widely  distant  locali- 
ties east  of  the  Mississippi  should  lend  excitement 
to  fern  expeditions  in  any  of  our  limestone  neigh- 
borhoods where  we  see  its  chosen  associates,  the 
Walking  Leaf  and  the  Ebony  Spleenwort.  To  find 
a new  station  for  this  interesting  little  fern,  even  if 
it  consisted  of  one  or  two  plants  only,  as  is  said  to 
have  been  the  case  at  Canaan,  Conn.,  would  well  re- 
pay the  fatigue  of  the  longest  tramp. 

32.  PINNATIFID  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  pinnatifidum 

New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania  to  Illinois,  and  southward  to 
Alabama  and  Arkansas,  on  rocks.  Four  to  fourteen  inches  long, 
with  polished  stalks,  blackish  below,  green  above,  when  young 
somewhat  chaffy  below. 

Fronds. — Broadly  lance-shaped,  tapering  to  a long,  slender 
point,  pinnatifid  or  pinnate  below ; pinna  rounded  or  the  lowest 
tapering  to  a point , fruit-dots  straight  or  somewhat  curved  ; in - 
dusium  straight  or  curved. 


142 


PLATE  XXJi 


PlNNATIFID  SPLEENWORT 


143 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR, 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 


This  plant  resembles  the  Walking  Leaf  to  such  an 
extent  that  formerly  it  was  not  considered  a sep- 
arate species.  The  long,  slender  apex  of  its  frond, 
which,  it  is  said,  sometimes  takes  root,  as  in  the 
Walking  Leaf,  gave  ground  for  its  confusion  with 
that  fern.  But  the  tapering  apex  of  the  frond  of  the 
Pinnatifid  Spleenwort  is  not  so  long  and  the  veins 
of  the  frond  are  free. 

The  Pinnatifid  Spleenwort  grows  on  rocks.  Its 
usual  companions  are  the  Mountain  Spleenwort  and 
the  Maidenhair  Spleenwort.  Williamson  tells  us 
that,  though  it  is  quite  common  in  Kentucky,  he 
has  never  found  a frond  which  rooted  at  the  apex. 
Eaton,  however,  speaks  of  “one  or  two  instances  of 
a slight  enlargement  of  the  apex,  as  if  there  were 
an  attempt  to  form  a proliferous  bud.” 

33.  BRADLEY’S  SPLEENWORT 

Asplenium  Bradleyi 

New  York  to  Georgia  and  Alabama,  westward  to  Arkansas,  on 
rocks  preferring  limestone.  Six  to  ten  inches  long,  with  slender, 
chestnut-brown  stalks. 

Fronds. — Oblong-lanceolate  or  oblong,  tapering  to  a point,  pin- 
nate ; pinna  oblong-ovate,  lobed  or  pinnatifid ; fruit-dots  short, 
near  the  midrib ; indusinm  delicate. 

To  my  knowledge  the  only  place  in  the  northeast- 
ern States  where  this  rare  and  local  species  has  been 
collected  is  near  Newburg,  N.  Y.,  where  Dr.  Eaton 
found  a plant  growing  on  lime  rock  in  1864. 


144 


PLATE  XXIfc 


BRADLEY'S  SPLEENWORT 
a Fertile  pinna 


145 


Canada  to  North  Carolina  and  westward, 
on  shaded  rocks,  preferring  limestone.  Four 
to  eighteen  inches  long,  with  light-green 
stalks. 


Fronds. — Simple,  lanceolate,  long-tapering 
toward  the  apex,  usually  heart-shaped  at  base, 
the  apex  often  rooting  and  forming  a new 
plant  ; fruit-dots  oblong  or  linear,  irregularly 
scattered  on  the  lower  surface  of  the  frond  ; indusium 
thin. 


To  its  unusual  and  suggestive  title  this  plant  un- 
doubtedly owes  much  of  the  interest  which  it  seems 
to  arouse  in  the  minds  of  those  who  do  not  profess 
to  be  fern-lovers.  A friend  tells  me  that  as  a child, 
eagerly  on  the  lookout  for  this  apparently  active 
little  plant,  he  was  so  much  influenced  by  its  title 


that  he  thought  it  might  be  advantageous  to  secure  a 
butterfly-net  as  an  aid  in  its  capture.  I find  that 
older  people  as  well  are  tempted  to  unwonted  ener- 
gy if  promised  a glimpse  of  the  Walking  Fern.  Then, 

146 


TROUP  V FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 

OKUUL"  V SPORANdA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 

too,  the  scarcity  of  the  plant  in  many  localities,  or, 
indeed,  its  entire  absence  from  certain  parts  of  the 
country,  gives  it  a reputation  for  rarity  which  is  one 
of  the  most  certain  roads  to  fame. 

For  many  years  I was  unable  to  track  it  to  any  of 
its  haunts.  During  a summer  spent  in  Rensselaer 
County,  N.  Y.,  the  Walking  Leaf  was  the  object  of 
various  expeditions.  I recall  one  drive  of  twenty- 
five  miles  devoted  to  hunting  up  a rumored  station. 
At  the  end  of  the  day,  which 
turned  out  cold  and  rainy,  and 
fruitless  so  far  as  its  special  ob- 
ject was  concerned,  I felt  in- 
clined to  believe  that  the  plant 
had  justified  its  title  and  had 
walked  out  of  the  neighborhood. 

Yet,  after  all,  no  such  expedi- 
tion, even  with  wind  and  weather 
against  one,  as  in  this  case,  is 
really  fruitless.  The  sharp  watch 
along  the  roadside,  the  many 

. . Portion  of  fertile  frond 

little  expeditions  into  inviting 
pastures,  up  promising  cliffs,  over  moss-grown  bowld- 
ers, down  to  the  rocky  border  of  the  brook,  are  sure 
to  result  in  discoveries  of  value  or  in  moments  of 
delight.  A flower  yet  unnamed,  a butterfly  beautiful 
as  a gem,  an  unfamiliar  bird-song  traced  to  its  source, 
a new,  suggestive  outlook  over  the  well-known  val- 
ley, and, later,  “a  sleep  pleasant  with  all  the  influences 
of  long  hours  in  the  open  air” — any  or  all  of  these 
results  may  be  ours,  and  go  to  make  the  day  count 

147 


CROUP  V FERT1LE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 

UIUJU  SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 

Finally,  one  September  afternoon,  shortly  before 
leaving  the  neighborhood,  we  resolved  upon  a last 
search,  in  quite  a new  direction.  Several  miles  from 
home,  at  a fork  in  the  road,  standing  in  a partially 
wooded  pasture,  we  noticed  just  such  a large,  shaded 
rock,  with  mossy  ledges,  as  had  filled  us  with  vain 
hopes  many  times.  J.  suggested  a closer  exam- 
ination, which  I discouraged,  remembering  previous 
disappointments.  But  something  in  the  look  of  the 
great  bowlder  provoked  his  curiosity,  so  over  the 
fence  and  up  the  ledges  he  scrambled.  Almost  his 
first  resting-place  was  a projecting  shelf  which  was 
carpeted  with  a mat  of  bluish-green  foliage.  It 
needed  only  a moment’s  investigation  to  identify  the 
leathery,  tapering  fronds  of  the  Walking  Fern.  No 
one  who  has  not  spent  hours  in  some  such  search  as 
this  can  sympathize  with  the  delight  of  those  mo- 
ments. We  fairly  gloated  over  the  quaint  little 
plants,  following  with  our  fingers  the  slender  tips 
of  the  fronds  till  they  rooted  in  the  moss,  starting 
another  generation  on  its  life  journey,  and  earn- 
ing for  itself  the  title  of  Walking  Leaf  or  Walking 
Fern. 

Although  since  then  I have  found  the  Walking 
Leaf  frequently,  and  in  great  abundance,  I do  not  re- 
member ever  to  have  seen  it  make  so  fine  a display. 
The  plants  were  unusually  large  and  vigorous,  and 
the  aspect  of  the  matted  tufts  was  uncommonl)' 
luxuriant.  To  be  sure,  some  allowance  must  be  made 
for  the  glamour  of  a first  meeting. 

The  Walking  Leaf  grows  usually  on  limestone 

148 


We  fairly  gloated  over  the  quaint  little  plants.” 


msm 


TROUP  V FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 

UKUUP  V SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 

rocks,  though  it  has  been  found  on  sandstone,  shale, 
and  conglomerate  as  well.  I have  also  seen  it  on  the 
stumps  of  decaying  trees  near  limestone  cliffs  in 
Central  New  York,  where  it  is  a common  plant, 
creeping  along  the  shaded,  mossy  ledges  above  star- 
like  tufts  of  the  Maidenhair  Spleenwort  and  fragile 
clusters  of  the  Slender  Cliff  Brake,  venturing  to  the 
brook’s  edge  with  sprays  of  the  Bulblet  Bladder 
Fern,  and  climbing  the  turreted  summits  of  the  hills 
close  to  the  Purple  Cliff  Brake. 

Although  without  the  grace  of  the  Maidenhair, 
the  delicacy  of  certain  of  the  Spleenworts,  or  the 
stately  beauty  of  the  Shield  Ferns,  the  oddity  and 
sturdiness  of  this  little  plant  are  bound  to  make  it  a 
favorite  everywhere. 

Occasionally  a plant  is  found  which  will  keep  up 
its  connection  with  two  or  three  generations;  that 
is,  a frond  will  root  at  the  apex,  forming  a new  plant 
(the  second  generation).  This  will  also  send  out 
a rooting  frond  which  gives  birth  to  a new  plant 
(the  third  generation)  before  the  two  first  fronds 
have  decayed  at  their  tips  so  as  to  sever  the  connec- 
tion. 

At  times  forking  fronds  are  found,  these  forks  also 
rooting  occasionally  at  their  tips. 


149 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 


35.  HART’S  TONGUE 

Scolopendrium  vulgar e ( S . scolopendrium) 


Shaded  ravines  under  limestone  cliffs  in  Central  New  York  and 
near  South  Pittsburg,  Tenn.  A few  inches  to  nearly  two  feet  long, 
with  stalks  which  are  chaffy  below  and  sometimes  to  the  base  of 
the  leaf. 

Fronds. — Narrowly  oblong,  undivided,  from  a somewhat  heart- 
shaped  base,  bright-green  ; fruit-dots  linear,  elongated,  a row  on 
either  side  of  the  midrib  and  at  right  angles  to  it ; indusium 
appearing  to  be  double. 

When  Gray  describes  a fern  as  “very  rare”  and 
Dr.  Britton  limits  it  to  two  small  stations  in  neigh- 
boring counties  in  the  whole  northern  United 


below  on  its  journey  to  the  distant  valley,  I did 
little  more  than  revel  in  the  beauty  of  the  foaming 
mass  which  for  many  days  “ haunted  me  like  a pas- 


States,  the  fern  lover  looks  for- 
ward with  a sense  of  eager  antici- 
pation to  seeing  it  for  the  first 
time. 


Tip  of  fertile  frond 


During  a week  spent  at  Caze- 
novia,  N.  Y.,  a few  years  ago, 
I learned  that  the  rare  Hart’s 
Tongue  grew  at  Chittenango 
Falls,  only  four  miles  away.  But 
my  time  was  limited,  and  on  a 
single  brief  visit  to  the  picturesque 
spot  where  the  broad  Chittenango 
stream  dashes  over  cliffs  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  high,  losing 
itself  in  the  wild,  wooded  glen 


sion.”  I saw  no  signs  of  the  plant 
which  has  done  almost  as  much  as 
s<  the  sounding  cataract  ” to  make 
the  spot  famous. 

The  combined  recollection  of  the 
beautiful  falls  and  the  for  me  un- 
discovered fern,  joined  to  the  fact 
that  Madison  and  the  adjoining 
Onondaga  County  are  favorite 
hunting  grounds  for  the  fern  lover 
on  account  of  the  many  species 
which  they  harbor,  drew  us  to 
Cazenovia  for  the  summer  two 
years  later. 

Guided  by  the  explicit  direc- 
tions of  Mr.  J.  H.  Ten  Eyck  Burr, 
a fern  enthusiast  who  is  always 
ready  to  share  with  others,  of 
whose  good 
faith  he  is  as- 
sured, his  en- 
joyment of  the 
hiding-places 
of  his  favorites, 
we  found  at 
last  the  Hart’s 
Tongue  in  its 
own  home. 

151 


Hart  s Tongue 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 


If  Mr.  Burr’s  kindness  in  sending  me  some  fine 
pressed  specimens,  and  the  illustrations  I had  seen 
in  various  books,  had  not  already  made  me  familiar 
with  the  general  look  of  the  plant,  the  long,  un- 
divided, tongue-like  fronds,  so  different  from  one’s 
preconceived  notion  of  a fern,  would  have  been  a 
great  surprise.  Even  now,  although  I have  visited 
many  times  its  hidden  retreats,  and  have  noted  with 
delight  every  detail  of  its  glossy,  vigorous  growth, 
it  seems  to  me  always  as  rare  and  unusual  as  it  did 
the  first  day  I found  it. 

At  Chittenango  Falls  the  Hart’s  Tongue  grows  a 
few  yards  from  the  base  of  bold,  overhanging  lime- 
stone cliffs,  the  tops  of  which  are  fringed  by  pen- 
dent roots  of  the  red  cedar.  Nearly  always  it  is 
caught  beneath  moss-grown  fragments  of  the  fall- 
en limestone,  the  bright-green,  undulating,  glossy 
leaves  either  standing  almost  erect  (curving  out- 
ward slightly  above)  or  else  falling  over  toward  the 
slope  of  the  land  so  as  to  present  a nearly  pros- 
trate appearance.  At  times  these  fronds  are  very 
numerous,  as  many  as  fifty  to  a plant,  forming  great 
clumps  of  foliage.  Again  we  find  a plant  with  only 
half  a dozen  or  even  fewer  green  fronds.  At  matur- 
ity the  linear,  bright-brown  fruit-dots,  a row  on 
either  side  the  midrib,  are  conspicuous  on  the  lower 
surfaces  of  the  fronds. 

This  haunt  of  the  Hart’s  Tongue  is  shaded  by  a 
growth  of  tall  basswoods  and  maples,  of  sturdy 
oaks  and  hemlocks.  The  neighboring  cliffs  are 
draped  with  the  slender  fronds  of  the  Bulblet  Blad- 


TROUP  V EERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 

UKULIP  V SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT -DOTS 

der  Fern.  On  every  side  rise  the  tall  crowns  of  the 
omnipresent  Evergreen  Wood  Fern.  Lower  down, 
close  to  the  rushing  stream  which  we  see  mistily 
through  the  green  branches,  its  roar  always  in  our 
ears,  grow  the  Walking  Leaf  and  the  Maidenhair. 
The  little  Polypody  climbs  over  the  rocks  and 
perches  contentedly  on  the  spreading  roots  of  trees, 
while  a few  fragile  plants  of  the  Slender  Cliff  Brake, 
something  of  a rarity  in  these  parts,  are  fastened  to 
the  mossy  ledges. 

The  other  published  northern  station  of  the 
Hart’s  Tongue  is  at  Jamesville,  some  fifteen  miles 
from  Chittenango  Falls,  near  a small  sheet  of  water 
known  commonly  as  Green  Pond,  christened  botan- 
ically  Scolopendrium  Lake.  Here  also  it  grows 
among  the  talus  at  the  foot  of  limestone  cliffs.  The 
plants  which  I found  in  this  locality  were  less  luxu- 
riant than  those  at  Chittenango  Falls.  They  grow 
in  more  exposed,  less  shaded  spots. 

Scolopendrium  Lake  has  become  somewhat  fa- 
mous in  the  world  of  fern  students  by  reason  of 
Mr.  Underwood’s  claim  that  in  its  immediate  vicin- 
ity, within  a radius  of  fifty  rods  from  the  water’s 
edge  (the  lake  being  a mere  pond),  grow  twenty- 
seven  different  kinds  of  ferns,  while  within  a circle 
whose  diameter  is  not  over  three  miles  thirty-four 
species  have  been  found.  During  this  one  day  we 
gave  to  the  neighborhood,  we  could  not  hope  to 
find  so  great  a number,  the  result,  perhaps,  of  many 
days’  investigation,  and  were  forced  to  content  our- 
selves with  the  twenty-one  species  we  did  find.  In 

15  3 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 


his  list  Mr.  Underwood  marks  the  Purple  Cliff 
Brake  as  found  but  once,  so  I judge  he  did  not  dis- 
cover the  station  on  the  turreted  cliffs  close  by 
where  it  grows  in  extravagant  profusion,  producing 
fronds  not  only  much  longer  and  finer  than  1 had 
seen  elsewhere,  but  superior  to  those  pictured  in 
the  illustrated  books. 

During  the  same  summer,  on  an  expedition  to 
Perryville  Falls,  which  we  had  planned  for  the 
express  purpose  of  finding  the  Rue  Spleenwort  and 
the  Purple  Cliff  Brake,  a new  station  was  discov- 
ered for  the  Hart’s  Tongue.  To  Miss  Murray  Led- 
yard,  of  Cazenovia,  belongs  the  honor  of  finding  the 
first  plants  in  this  locality.  We  had  been  success- 
ful in  the  original  object  of  our  journey,  and  had 
crossed  the  stream  in  order  to  examine  the  oppo- 
site cliffs.  J.  and  I,  curious  to  study  the  wet  wall 
of  rock  close  to  the  sheer  white  veil  of  water,  which 
fell  more  than  one  hundred  feet,  finally  secured 
an  unsubstantial  foothold  among  graceful  tufts  of 
the  greenish,  lily-like  flowers,  which  ought  to  re- 
ceive a more  homely  and  appropriate  title  than 
Zygadenus  elegans.  Having  satisfied  ourselves  that 
the  mossy  crevices  harbored  no  plants  of  the  Slen- 
der Cliff  Brake,  now  the  immediate  object  of  our 
search,  we  followed  the  natural  path  beneath  the 
overhanging  rock  and  above  the  sheer  descent  to 
the  ravine,  examining  the  cliffs  as  we  cautiously 
picked  our  way.  Miss  Ledyard  had  remained  be- 
low, and  suddenly  we  heard  her  give  a triumphant 
shout,  followed  by  the  joyful  announcement  that 

i54 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 


she  had  found  the  Hart’s  Tongue.  The  station 
being  previously  quite  unknown,  this  was  a most 
interesting  discovery.  On  entering  the  ravine  we 
had  discussed  its  possibility,  but  I had  fancied  that 
any  hope  of  it  would  be  unfounded,  as  I supposed 
the  ground  had  been  thoroughly  canvassed  by  the 
many  botanists  who  had  visited  the  neighborhood. 

The  plants  were  still  young,  but  large  and  vigor- 
ous, growing  in  a partial  opening  among  the  bass- 
woods, maples,  and  beeches,  on  a steep  slope  cov- 
ered with  fragments  of  limestone,  some  thirty  or 
forty  feet  from  the  base  of  the  cliffs.  We  must 
have  found  from  twenty  to  thirty  plants  within  a 
radius  of  as  many  feet. 

Unfortunately,  as  it  turned  out,  the  discovery 
found  its  way  to  the  columns  of  the  local  paper, 
and  on  our  return  to  the  station,  some  weeks  later 
our  eager  expectation  of  seeing  the  young  plants 
in  the  splendor  of  maturity  was  crushed  by  find- 
ing that  the  spot  had  been  ruthlessly  invaded  and 
a number  of  the  finest  plants  had  disappeared.  Be- 
fore long  it  will  be  necessary  for  botanists  to  form  a 
secret  society,  with  vows  of  silence  as  to  fern  local- 
ities and  some  sort  of  lynch  law  for  the  punishment 
of  vandals. 

This  fern,  so  rare  with  us,  is  a common  plant  in 
Europe,  its  fronds  attaining  at  times  a length  of  two 
or  three  feet.  In  Ireland  and  the  Channel  Islands 
it  is  especially  abundant.  In  Devonshire,  England, 
it  is  described  as  growing  “ on  the  tops  and  at  the 
sides  of  walls  ; hanging  from  old  ruins  . . . drop- 

155 


GROUP  V 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 
SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT  - DOTS 


ping  down  its  long,  green  Ironds  into  the  cool 
and  limpid  water  of  roadside  wells  hewn  out  of  the 
rock  ; often  exposed  to  the  full  blaze  of  the  sun, 
but  always  in  such  cases  dwindled  down  to  a tiny 
size  ” (“  The  Fern  Paradise”). 

The  Hart’s  Tongue  has  been  known  as  the  Cater- 
pillar Fern  and  the  Seaweed  Fern. 

36.  VIRGINIA  CHAIN  FERN 

IVoodwardia  Virginica 

Swampy  places,  often  in  deep  water,  from  Maine  to  Florida.  Two 
to  more  than  three  feet  high. 

Fronds. — Once-pinnate ; pinna  pinnatifid,  with  oblong  seg- 
ments ; fruit-dots  oblong,  in  chain-like  rows  along  the  midrib 
both  of  the  pinns  and  of  the  lobes,  confluent  when  ripe  ; indusium 
fixed  by  its  outer  margin,  opening  on  the  side  next  the  midrib. 

Emerging  from  the  shade  and  silence  of  a little 
wood  upon  the  rolling  downs  where  one  has 
glimpses  of  the  blue  bay,  our  attention  is  attracted 
by  a tall  fern  beside  the  path,  growing  among  a 
tangle  of  shrubs  and  vines.  It  does  not  grow  in 
symmetrical  crowns  or  tufts  like  an  Osmunda , but 
its  fronds  are  almost  as  handsome,  the  divisions 
being  wider  apart  and  more  scattered.  Turning 
over  two  or  three  of  the  rather  glossy  fronds,  we 
find  a rusty-backed,  fertile  frond,  covered  on  one 
side  with  the  regular  chain-like  rows  of  fruit-dots 
which  make  its  name  of  Chain  Fern  seem  very 

appropriate  and  descriptive. 

156 


PLATE  XXIV 


TROUP  V FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  SIMILAR  ; 

U SPORANGIA  IN  LINEAR  OR  OBLONG  FRUIT-DOTS 

In  the  low,  damp  ground  near  the  coast  one  may 
expect  to  find  this  fern  ; its  haunts,  where  the  nar- 
row path  winds  between  tall  masses  of  sweet-pepper 
bush  and  wet  meadows  where  pogonia  and  calopo- 
gon  delight  us  in  July,  and  the  white-fringed  orchids 
may  be  found  in  later  summer,  are  among  the  most 
beautiful  of  the  many  beautiful  kinds  of  country 
that  the  fern  and  flower  lover  knows,  to  which  his 
feet  stray  inevitably  in  the  season  of  green  things, 
and  which  are  the  solace  of  his  “inward  eye”  when 
that  season  is  past. 


158 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE  AND  USUALLY 
SIMILAR,  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


37.  NEW  YORK  FERN 

Aspidium  Noveboracense  ( Dryopteris  Novcboraccnsis) 

Newfoundland  to  South  Carolina,  in  woods  and  open  mead- 
ows. One  to  more  than  two  feet  high,  with  stalks  shorter  than  the 
fronds. 

Fronds.  — Lance-shaped,  tapering  both  ways  from  the  middle 
pinnate  ; pinna  lance-shaped,  the  lowest  pairs  shorter  and  deflexed, 
divided  into  flat,  oblong  lobes  which  are  not  reflexed  over  the  fruit- 
dots  ; fruit-dots  round,  distinct,  near  the  margin  ; indusium  minute. 

At  times  the  pale-green  fronds  of  the  New  York 
Fern  throng  to  the  roadside,  which  is  flanked  by  a 
tangled  thicket  of  Osmundas,  wild  roses,  and  elder 
bushes. 

Again,  they  stay  quietly  at  home  in  the  open  marsh 
or  in  the  shadow  of  the  hemlocks  and  cedars,  where 

159 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


they  have  fragrant  pyrola  and  pipsissewa  for  com- 
pany, and  where  the  long,  melancholy  note  of  the 
peewee  breaks  the  silence. 

This  plant  is  easily  distinguished  from  the  Marsh 
Fern  by  the  noticeable  tapering  at  both  ends  of  its 
frond,  and  by  the  flat  instead  of  reflexed  margins  to 
the  lobes  of  the  fertile  pinnae. 

38.  MARSH  FERN 

Aspidium  Thelypteris  ( Dryopteris  Thelypteris ) 

New  Brunswick  to  Florida,  in  wet  woods  and  swamps.  One  tc 
nearly  three  feet  high. 

Fronds.  — Lance-shaped,  slightly  downy,  once-pinnate,  fertile 
fronds  longer-stalked  than  the  sterile ; pimuz,  the  lower  ones  hardly 
smaller  than  the  others,  cut  into  oblong,  entire  lobes,  which  are  ob- 
tuse in  the  sterile  fronds,  but  appear  acute  in  the  fertile  ones  from 
the  strongly  revolute  margins  ; veins  once  or  twice  forked ; fruit- 
dots  small,  round,  half-way  between  midvein  and  margin,  or  nearer 
margin,  soon  confluent ; indusium  small. 

In  our  wet  woods  and  open  swamps,  and  occasion- 
ally in  dry  pastures,  the  erect,  fresh-green  fronds  of 
the  Marsh  Fern  grow  abundantly.  The  lowest  pin- 
nae are  set  so  high  on  the  long  slender  stem  as  to 
give  the  fern  the  appearance  of  trying  to  keep  dry, 
daintily  holding  its  skirts  out  of  the  mud  as  it  were. 

The  plant’s  range  is  wide.  As  I pick  my  way 
through  marshy  inland  woods,  using  as  bridges  the 
fallen  trunks  and  interlacing  roots  of  trees,  its  bright 
fronds  standing  nearly  three  feet  high,  crowd  about 
me.  Close  by,  securing,  like  myself,  a firmer  foot- 
hold by  the  aid  of  the  trees’  roots,  I notice  the  flat, 

160 


PLATE  XXV 


1 6 1 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


mottled  green  and  white  rosettes  and  the 
slender  wands  of  flowers  of  the  rattlesnake 
orchid.  In  the  open  swamps  beyond  the 
fern’s  companion  is  another 
orchid,  the  ladies’  tresses, 
with  braided  spikes  of  white, 
and  in  this  case  deliciously 
fragrant  flowers. 

In  open  marshes  near  the 
sea  I find  this  plant  associat- 
ing itself  with 
the  violet- 
scented  ad- 
der’s mouth, 
with  glis- 
t e n i n g 
sundew, 
and  with 
gaudy 
T u r k’s- 
cap  lilies. 

From 
the  New 


York  Fern 
it  may  be 
distinguish- 
ed easily  by 
the  some- 
what abrupt 

Marsh  Fern 


162 


PLATE  XXVI 


Fsrtile  frond 


Sterile  frond 


TROUP  VI  FERT,LE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
^ AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


instead  of  tapering  base  of  the  frond,  by  the  strongly 
revolute  margins  of  the  fertile  frond,  and  by  its 
long  stalk. 

From  the  Massachusetts  Fern  it  may  be  distin- 
guished by  its  forked  veins,  the  less  revolute  mar- 
gins of  the  fertile  frond,  and  by  its  thicker  texture 
and  deeper  green. 

39.  MASSACHUSETTS  FERN 

Aspidium  simulatum  (. Dryopteris  simulata) 

New  Hampshire  to  the  Indian  Territory,  in  wooded  swamps.  One 
to  more  than  three  feet  high. 

Fronds. — Oblong-lance-shaped,  little  or  not  at  all  narrowed  at 
the  base,  rather  thin,  pinnate  ; pinna  lance-shaped,  cut  into  oblong, 
obtuse  segments,  which  are  slightly  reflexed  in  the  fertile  fronds, 
veins  not  forked  ; fruit-dots  rather  large,  somewhat  distant ; indu- 
sium  “ withering-persistent.” 


This  species  closely  resembles  the  Marsh  Fern. 
The  less  revolute  margins  of  the  fertile  frond,  the 
simple  veins,  its  thinner  texture,  and  its  more  distant 
fruit-dots  aid  in  its  identification.  It  is  found  in 
woodland  swamps  from  New  Hampshire  to  the 
Indian  Territory. 


16, 


PLATE  XXVII 


SPINULOSE  WOOD  FERN 
Aipidium  spinulosum,  var.  intermedium 
a Portion  of  fertile  pinnule 

165 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


40.  SPINULOSE  WOOD  FERN 

Aspidium  spinulosum  ( DryopUris  spinulosa) 

Newfoundland  to  Kentucky.  The  common  European  type,  rare 
in  North  America.  One  to  two  and  a half  feet  high,  with  stalks 
having  a few  pale-brown  deciduous  scales. 

Fronds. — Lance-ovate,  twice-pinnate  \ pinna  oblique  to  the  ra- 
chis,  elongated-triangular,  the  lower  ones  broadly  triangular  ; pin- 
nules  oblique  to  the  midrib,  connected  by  a narrow  wing,  cut  into 
thorny-toothed  segments;  fruit-dots  round;  indusium  smooth, 
without  marginal  glands,  soon  withering. 

To  my  knowledge  I have  only  seen  this  fern  in  the 
herbarium,  it  being  rare  in  this  country.  It  is  found, 
I have  been  told,  chiefly  toward  the  tops  of  moun- 
tains. Its  pinnae  are  noticeably  ascending. 

Var.  intermedium  (D.  spinulosa  intermedia') 

Labrador  to  North  Carolina,  in  woods  almost  everywhere. 
Usually  large,  with  somewhat  chaffy  stalks,  having  brown,  dark- 
centred  scales. 

Fronds. — Oblong-ovate,  2-3  pinnate ; pinna  oblong-lance-shaped, 
spreading,  rather  distant,  the  lowest  unequally  triangular,  the  pin- 
nules on  the  lower  side  longer  than  those  on  the  upper  side ; pin- 
nules  ovate -oblong,  spreading,  with  oblong  lobes  thorny-toothed 
at  the  apex  ; fruit-dots  round ; indusium  delicate,  beset  with  tiny 
stalked  glands. 

This  is  the  form  of  the  species  that  abounds  in 
our  woods.  Perhaps  no  one  plant  does  more  for 
their  beauty  than  this  stately  fern,  whose  rich-green, 
outward-curving  fronds  spring  in  circles  from  fall- 
en trees  and  decaying  stumps  as  well  as  from  the 
ground. 

The  plant  varies  greatly  in  height,  breadth,  and 

166 


BOOTT'S  SHIELD  FERN 
a Tip  of  fertile  pinna 

167 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF- LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


way  of  holding  itself.  Sometimes  the  fronds  stand 
three  feet  high,  and  are  broad  and  spreading.  Again, 
they  are  tall,  slender,  and  somewhat  erect.  Again, 
they  are  not  more  than  a foot  high. 

At  its  best  it  grows  with  almost  tropical  luxuri- 
ance and  is  a plant  of  rare  beauty,  its  fronds  hav- 
ing a certain  featheriness  of  aspect  uncommon  in 
the  Aspidiums. 

Var.  dilatatum  ( D . spinulosa  dilatata) 

Newfoundland  to  North  Carolina,  chiefly  in  the  mountains. 

Fronds. — Usually  large,  broader  at  base  than  in  either  of  the  pre- 
ceding species,  ovate  or  triangular-ovate,  oftenest  thrice-pinnate ; 
pinnules  lance-oblong,  the  lowest  often  much  elongated ; fruit- 
dots  round  ; indusium  smooth. 

This  form  of  the  Spinulose  Wood  Fern  is  distin- 
guished chiefly  by  its  broader  fronds  and  by  the 
smooth  indusia.  As  these  indusia  can  be  seen  satis- 
factorily only  by  the  aid  of  a magnifying-glass,  there 
is  frequently  some  difficulty  in  distinguishing  this 
variety.  Occasionally  it  occurs  in  a dwarf  state, 
fruiting  when  only  a few  inches  high. 

41.  BOOTT’S  SHIELD  FERN 

Aspidium  Boottii  ( Dryopteris  Boottii) 

Nova  Scotia  to  Maryland,  about  ponds  and  in  wet  places. 
One  and  a half  to  more  than  three  feet  high,  with  somewhat  chaffy 
stalks  which  have  pale-brown  scales. 

Fronds. — Long  lance-shaped,  somewhat  narrowed  at  base,  nearly 
or  quite  twice-pinnate ; pinna , the  lowest  triangular-ovate,  upper 
longer  and  narrower ; pinnules  oblong-ovate,  sharply  thorny- 
toothed,  somewhat  pinnatifid  below ; fruit-dots  round  ; indusium 
slightly  glandular. 


PLATE  XXIX 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF -LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUITS-DOTS  ROUND 


Boott’s  Shield  Fern  is  found  in  moist  woods  and 
near  ponds.  It  is  distinguished  by  its  long,  narrow 
fronds  and  minutely  glandular  indusium. 

42.  CRESTED  SHIELD  FERN 

Aspidium  cristatum  ( Dryopteris  cristata) 

Newfoundland  to  Kentucky,  in  swamps.  One  to  more  than 
three  feet  high,  with  stalks  which  are  chaffy,  especially  below, 
and  which  have  light-brown  scales,  stalks  of  sterile  fronds  much 
shorter  than  those  of  fertile  fronds. 

Fronds.-—  Linear-oblong  or  lance-shaped,  nearly  twice-pinnate, 
fertile  ones  taller  and  longer  stalked  than  the  sterile ; pinna  (of  the 
fertile  frond,  turning  their  faces  toward  the  apex  of  the  frond) 
rather  short,  lance-shaped  or  triangular-oblong,  deeply  impressed 
with  veins,  cut  deeply  into  oblong,  obtuse,  finely  toothed  divisions  ; 
fruit-dots  large,  round,  half-way  between  midvein  and  margin ; 
indusium  large,  flat. 

In  wet  woods,  growing  either  from  the  ground  or 
from  the  trunks  of  fallen  trees,  and  also  in  open 
meadows,  we  notice  the  tall,  slender,  dark-green, 
somewhat  lustrous  fronds  of  the  Crested  Shield 
Fern,  usually  distinguished  easily  from  its  kinsmen 
by  the  noticeably  upward-turning  pinnae  of  the  fer- 
tile fronds,  and  by  the  deep  impression  made  by  the 
veins  on  their  upper  surfaces. 

The  sterile  fronds  are  much  shorter  than  the  fer- 
tile ones.  They  are  evergreen,  lasting  through  the 
winter  after  the  fertile  fronds  have  perished. 

Near  the  Crested  Shield  Fern  we  find  often  many 
of  its  kinsmen,  broad,  feathery  fronds  of  the  Spinu- 
lose  Wood  Fern,  more  slender  ones  of  Boott’s  Shield 

170 


PLATE  XXX 


171 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


Fern,  great  tufts  made  by  the  magnificent  bright- 
green  fronds  ol  Goldie’s  Fern,  symmetrical  circles 
of  vigorous  Evergreen  Wood  Fern,  and  shining  clus- 
ters of  the  Christmas  Fern.  All  these  plants,  belong- 
ing to  the  one  tribe,  seek  the  same  moist,  shaded 
retreats,  and  form  a group  of  singular  beauty  and 
vigor. 


43.  CLINTON’S  WOOD  FERN 

Aspidium  cristatum,  var.  Clintonianum  ( Dryopteris  cristata  Clin  to- 

niana) 

Maine  to  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  in  swampy  woods.  Two 
and  a half  to  four  feet  high. 

Fronds. — Larger  in  every  way  than  those  of  the  Crested  Shield 
Fern,  nearly  twice-pinnate  ; pinna  broadest  at  base , cut  into  from 
eight  to  sixteen  pairs  of  linear-oblong,  obtuse,  obscurely  toothed  di- 
visions ; fruit-dots  large,  round,  near  the  midvein ; indusium  or- 
bicular, smooth. 

This  is  a much  larger  and  more  showy  plant  than 
the  Crested  Shield  Fern.  Its  tall,  broad,  hardy- 
looking fronds  are  found  in  our  moist  woods.  While 
not  rare  it  is  exclusive  in  its  habits,  and  cannot  be 
classed  with  such  every-day  finds  as  its  kinsmen, 
the  Marsh,  Spinulose,  Evergreen,  and  Christmas 
Ferns. 


172 


Part  of  fertile  frond  of  Goldie's  Fern 
a Portion  of  a fertile  pinna 

173 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


44.  GOLDIE’S  FERN 

Aspidium  Goldianum  ( Dryopteris  Goldieana ) 

New  Brunswick  to  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  in  rich  woods. 
Two  to  more  than  four  feet  high,  with  stalks  which  are  chaffy  near 
the  base. 

Fronds. — Broadly  ovate,  the  early  sterile  ones  much  broader  in 
proportion  and  smaller,  usually  a foot  or  more  wide,  once-pinnate ; 
pitince  pinnatifid  ; broadest  in  the  middle  (the  distinction  from  Clin- 
ton’s Wood  Fern),  the  divisions,  about  twenty  pairs,  oblong-linear, 
slightly  toothed  ; fruit-dots  very  near  the  midvein  ; indusium  very 
large,  orbicular. 

In  the  golden  twilight  of  the  deeper  woods  this 
stately  plant  unfurls  its  tall,  broad,  bright -green 
fronds,  studded  on  their  backs  with  the  round  fruit- 
dots  which  are  so  noticeable  in  this  Aspidium , ad- 
ding much  to  their  attractiveness  by  the  suggestion 
of  fertility. 

This  plant  ranks  with  the  Osmundas  and  with  the 
Ostrich  Fern  in  size  and  vigorous  beauty.  Its  retir- 
ing habits  give  it  a reputation  for  rarity  or  at  least 
for  exclusiveness. 


174 


GROUP  VI  FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 

45.  EVERGREEN  WOOD  FERN.  MARGINAL  SHIELD 

FERN 

Aspidium  marginale  ( Dryopteris  marginalis) 

Canada  to  Alabama,  in  rocky  woods.  A few  inches  to  three  feet 
high,  with  more  or  less  chaffy  stalks  having  shining  scales. 

Fronds. — Ovate-oblong,  smooth,  thick,  somewhat  leathery,  once 
or  twice-pinnate  ; pinna  lance-shaped  or  triangular-ovate,  tapering 
at  the  end,  cut  into  pinnules  ; pinnitles  oblong,  entire,  or  toothed  ; 
fruit-dots  large,  round,  close  to  the  margin ; indusium  large,  con- 
vex, persistent. 

Above  the  black  leaf-mould  in  our  rocky  northern 
woods  rise  the  firm,  graceful  crowns  formed  by  the 
blue-green  fronds  of  the  Evergreen  Wood  Fern. 
The  plant  bears  a family  likeness  to  the  Crested 
Shield  Fern,  but  its  conspicuously  marginal  fruit- 
dots  identify  it  at  sight. 

It  is  interesting  to  read  that  it  comes  “ nearer 
being  a tree-fern  than  any  other  of  our  species,  the 
caudex  covered  by  the  bases  of  fronds  of  previous 
seasons,  sometimes  resting  on  bare  rocks  for  four 
or  five  inches  without  roots  or  fronds”  (see  Eaton, 
p.  70).  This  peculiarity  in  the  plant’s  growth  is 
often  striking  and  certainly  suggests  the  tree-ferns 
of  the  green-house. 

Frequently  in  this  species  I notice  what  is  more 
or  less  common  to  nearly  all  ferns,  the  exquisite 
contrast  in  the  different  shades  of  green  worn  by 
the  younger  and  older  fronds  and  the  charming 
effect  produced  when  the  deep  green  of  the  centre 
of  a frond  shades  away  in  the  most  delicate  manner 
toward  its  apex  and  the  tips  of  its  pinnules. 

As  its  English  title  signifies,  the  Evergreen  Wood 

176 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


Fern  flourishes  throughout  the  winter.  In  one  of 
the  October  entries  in  his  journal,  Thoreau  records 
his  satisfaction  in  the  endurance  of  the  hardy  ferns: 
“ Now  they  are  conspicuous  amid  the  withered 
leaves.  You  are  inclined  to  approach  and  raise  each 
frond  in  succession,  moist,  trembling,  fragile  green- 
ness. They  linger  thus  in  all  moist,  clammy  swamps 
under  the  bare  maples  and  grapevines  and  witch 
hazels,  and  about  each  trickling  spring  that  is  half 
choked  with  fallen  leaves.  What  means  this  per- 
sistent vitality?  Why  were  these  spared  when  the 
brakes  and  osmundas  were  stricken  down  ? They 
stay  as  if  to  keep  up  the  spirits  of  the  cold-blooded 
frogs  which  have  not  yet  gone  into  the  mud,  that 
the  summer  may  die  with  decent  and  graceful  mod- 
eration. Is  not  the  water  of  the  spring  improved 
by  their  presence?  They  fall  back  and  droop  here 
and  there  like  the  plumes  of  departing  summer,  of 
the  departing  year.  Even  in  them  I feel  an  argu- 
ment for  immortality.  Death  is  so  far  from  being 
universal.  The  same  destroyer  does  not  destroy 
all.  How  valuable  they  are,  with  the  lycopodiums, 
for  cheerfulness.  Greenness  at  the  end  of  the  year, 
after  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  a hale  old  age.  To  my  eye 
they  are  tall  and  noble  as  palm-groves,  and  always 
some  forest  nobleness  seems  to  have  its  haunt  under 
their  umbrage.  All  that  was  immortal  in  the  swamp 
herbage  seems  here  crowded  into  smaller  compass, 
the  concentrated  greenness  of  the  swamp.  How  dear 
they  must  be  to  the  chickadee  and  the  rabbit ! the  cool, 
slowly  retreating  rear-guard  ol  the  swamp  army.” 

177 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


46.  FRAGRANT  SHIELD  FERN 

Aspidium  fragrans  ( Dryopteris  fragrans) 

Northern  New  England  to  Wisconsin  and  northward,  on  rocks. 
Five  to  sixteen  inches  long,  with  very  chaffy  stalks  having 
brown,  glossy  scales. 

Fronds. — Lance-shaped,  tapering  to  a point,  nearly  twice-pinnate, 
fragrant ; pinna:  oblong-lanceolate,  pinnatifid ; fruit-dots  round, 
large  ; indusium  large  and  thin. 

The  Fragrant  Shield  Fern  thrives  in  a colder 
climate  than  that  chosen  by  many  of  its  kinsmen. 
Though  found  in  the  White  Mountains,  in  the 
Green  Mountains  (where  it  climbs  to  an  elevation 
of  four  thousand  feet),  in  the  Adirondacks,  and  in 
other  special  localities  of  about  the  same  latitude, 
yet  it  is  rare  till  we  journey  farther  north.  It  loves 
the  crevices  of  shaded  cliffs  or  mossy  rocks,  often 
thriving  best  in  the  neighborhood  of  rushing  brooks 
and  waterfalls.  Frequently  it  seems  to  seek  the  most 
inaccessible  spots,  as  if  anxious  to  evade  discover)-. 
Mr.  J.  A.  Bates,  of  Randolph,  Vt.,  writes  that  he  first 
saw  this  little  plant  through  a telescope  from  the 
piazza  of  the  Summit  House  on  Mount  Mansfield  on 
an  apparently  inaccessible  ledge,  the  only  instance  in 
my  experience  when  the  fern  student  has  sought  this 
method  of  observation,  suggesting  “ Ferns  Through 
a Spy-glass”  as  a companion  volume  to  “Birds 
Through  an  Opera-glass.”  But  even  the  most  care- 
fully chosen  spots  are  not  safe  from  invasion,  as  Mr. 
Bates  tells  us,  for  some  unprincipled  persons,  having 

felled  neighboring  trees  and  constructed  a rude  lad- 

178 


Like  the  plumes  of  departing  summer.” 


FRAGRANT  SHIELD  FERN 

a Portion  of  fertile  pinna 

179 


TROUP  y,  FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
u L u AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 

der,  have  succeeded  in  uprooting  every  plant 
from  the  Fragrant  Shield  Fern  Cliff  on  Mount 
Mansfield. 

The  fronds  of  the  Fragrant  Shield  Fern  grow  in  a 
crown  and  the  fertile  ones  fruit  in  great  abundance. 

Eaton  writes  as  follows  touching  the  fragrance  of 
this  fern  and  its  use  as  a beverage : 

“ The  pleasant  odor  of  this  plant  remains  many 
years  in  the  herbarium.  The  early  writers  compare 
the  fragrance  to  that  of  raspberries,  and  Milde  repeats 
the  observation.  Hooker  and  Greville  thought  it 
‘not  unlike  that  of  the  common  primrose.’  Maxi- 
mowicz  states  that  the  odor  is  sometimes  lacking. 
Milde  quotes  Redowsky  as  saying  that  the  Yakoots 
of  Siberia  use  the  plant  in  place  of  tea ; and,  having 
tried  the  experiment  myself,  I can  testify  to  the  not 
unpleasant  and  very  fragrant  astringency  of  the 
infusion.” 

The  following  delightful  description  of  the  Fra- 
grant Shield  Fern  was  written  by  Mr.  C.  G.  Pringle, 
and  is  taken  from  Meehan’s  “ Native  Flowers  and 
Ferns ” : 

“ In  the  several  stations  of  Aspidium  fragrans 
among  the  Green  Mountains  which  I have  explored, 
the  plant  is  always  seen  growing  from  the  crevices 
or  on  the  narrow  shelves  of  dry  cliffs — not  often 
such  cliffs  as  are  exposed  to  the  sunlight,  unless  it 
be  on  the  summits  of  the  mountains,  but  usually 
such  cliffs  as  are  shaded  by  firs,  and  notably  such 
as  overhang  mountain-rivulets  and  waterfalls.  When 
I visit  such  places  in  summer,  the  niches  occupied 

i So 


CROUP  VI  fertile  and  sterile  fronds  leaf-like 
urcuur  and  usually  similar  ; fruit-dots  round 

by  the  plants  are  quite  dry.  I think  it  would  be 
fatal  to  the  plant  if  much  spray  should  fall  on  it 
during  the  season  of  its  active  growth.  When  you 
enter  the  shade  and  solitude  of  the  haunts  of  this 
fern,  its  presence  is  betrayed  by  its  resinous  odor; 
looking  up  the  face  of  the  cliff,  usually  mottled  with 
lichens  and  moss,  you  see  it  often  far  above  your 
reach  hanging  against  the  rock,  masses  of  dead 
brown  fronds,  the  accumulations  of  many  years,  pre- 
served by  the  resinous  principle  which  pervades 
them  ; for  the  fronds,  as  they  disport  regularly 
about  the  elongating  caudex,  fall  right  and  left  pre- 
cisely like  a woman’s  hair.  Above  the  tuft  of  droop- 
ing dead  fronds,  which  radiate  from  the  centre  of 
the  plant,  grow  from  six  to  twenty  green  fronds, 
which  represent  the  growth  of  the  season,  those  of 
the  preceding  year  dying  toward  autumn.” 


181 


GROUP  VI  FERTILE  and  sterile  fronds  leaf-like 

AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


47.  BRAUN'S  HOLLY  FERN 

Aspidium  aculealum,  var.  Braunii  ( Dryopteris  Braunii) 

Canada  to  Maine,  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania  and  westward, 
in  deep  rocky  woods.  One  to  more  than  two  feet  long,  with 
chaffy  stalks,  having  brown  scales. 

Fronds. — Thick,  twice-pinnate  ; pinna  lanceolate,  tapering  both 
ways ; pinnules  covered  with  hairs  and  scales,  truncate,  nearly 
rectangular  at  the  base  ; fruit-dots  roundish,  small,  mostly  near  the 
midveins  ; indusium  orbicular,  entire. 

This  fern  is  said  to  have  been  first  discovered  by- 
Frederick  Pursh  in  1807  in  Smuggler’s  Notch, 
Mount  Mansfield,  Vt.  In  the  Green  Mountains  and 
in  the  Catskills  several  stations  have  been  estab- 
lished. It  has  been  found  also  in  the  Adirondacks 
and  in  Oswego  County,  N.  Y.,  and  it  is  now  re- 
ported as  common  in  the  rocky  woods  of  north- 
ern Maine,  and  by  mountain  brooks  in  northern 
New  England. 

Braun’s  Holly  Fern  is  one  of  the  numerous  varie- 
ties of  the  Prickly  Shield  Fern  or  A.  aculeatum  ( D . 
aculeata). 

Though  few  of  our  fern-students  will  have  an  op- 
portunity to  follow  the  Prickly  Shield  Fern  through 
all  the  forms  it  assumes  in  different  parts  of  the 
world,  yet  undoubtedly  many  of  them  will  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  in  one  of  its  lonely  and  lovely 
haunts  our  own  variety,  Braun’s  Holly  Fern. 


PLATE  XXXIV 


-irv^s? 


BRAUN’S  HOLLY  FERN 

a Portion  of  pinna  b Fertile  pinnuie,  indusia  gone 


83 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


48.  COMMON  POLYPODY.  SNAKE  FERN 


Polypodium  vulgare 


Almost  throughout  North  America,  on  rocks.  A few  inches  to 
more  than  a foot  high. 

Fronds. — Oblong,  smooth,  somewhat 
leathery,  cut  into  narrowly  oblong,  usually 
obtuse  divisions  which  almost  reach  the 
rachis  ; fruit-dots  large,  round,  half-way 
between  the  midrib  and  margin ; in- 
dusium,  none. 

Strangely  enough,  the  Poly- 
pody, one  of  our  most  abundant 
and  ubiquitous  ferns,  is  not 
rightly  named,  if  it  is  noticed 
at  all,  by  nine  out  of  ten  people 
who  come  across 
it  in  the  woods 
or  along  the  road- 
side. Yet  the  plant 
has  a charm  peculiarly 
its  own,  a charm  aris- 
ing partly  from  its  vig- 
or, from  the  freshness 
of  its  youth  and 
the  endurance  of 
its  old  age,  partly 
from  its  odd  out- 
lines, and  partly 
from  its  usual  en- 
Poiypody  vironment,  which 


184 


rRDIIP  VI  FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
UKUUV  VI  AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 

entitles  it  to  a more  ready  and  universal  recog- 
nition. 

“The  cheerful  community  of  the  polypody,”  as 
Thoreau  calls  it,  thrives  best  on  the  flat  surfaces  of 
rocks.  I recall  the  base  of  certain  great  cliffs  where 
the  rocky  fragments,  looking  as  though  hurled  from 
above  by  playful  giants,  are  thickly  covered  with 
these  plants,  their  rich  foliage  softening  into  beauty 
otherwise  rugged  outlines.  Usually  the  plant  is 
found  in  somewhat  shaded  places. 

Occasionally  it  grows  on  the  trunks 
of  trees  and  on  fallen  logs,  as  well 
as  on  rocks  and  cliffs. 

A few  weeks  ago  I found  its 
/ronds  prettily  curtaining  the  clev- 
erly hidden  nest  of  a pair  of  black 
and  white  creepers.  It  is  with 
good  reason  that  these  birds  are 
noted  for  their  skill  in  concealing 
their  dwelling-place.  This  special 

Tip  of  fertile  frond 

nervous  chirps  and  flutterings  about  the  rocky  perch 
where  I was  sitting  that  the  young  ones  were  close 
by,  I began  an  investigation  of  my  precipitous  and 
very  slippery  surroundings  which  was  not  rewarded 
for  an  hour  or  more.  Not  till  I had  climbed  several 
feet  over  the  side  of  the  cliff  to  a narrow  shelf 
below,  broken  through  a thicket  of  blueberries,  and 
pushed  aside  the  tufts  of  Polypody  which  hid  the 
entrance  to  the  dark  crevice  in  the  rocks  beyond,  did 
I discover  the  little  nest  holding  the  baby  creepers. 

185 


afternoon,  when  persuaded  by  their 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


Thoreau  writes  of  the  Polypody  with  peculiar 
sympathy : 

“ It  is  very  pleasant  and  cheerful  nowadays,  when 
the  brown  and  withered  leaves  strew  the  ground 
and  almost  every  plant  is  fallen  withered,  to  come 
upon  a patch  of  polypody  ...  on  some  rocky 
hill-side  in  the  woods,  where,  in  the  midst  of  dry 
and  rustling  leaves,  defying  frost,  it  stands  so 
freshly  green  and  full  of  life.  The  mere  greenness, 
which  was  not  remarkable  in  the  summer,  is  posi- 
tively interesting  now.  My  thoughts  are  with  the 
polypody  a long  time  after  my  body  has  passed. 
. . . Why  is  not  this  form  copied  by  our  sculp- 

tors instead  of  the  foreign  acanthus  leaves  and 
bays?  How  fit  for  a tuft  about  the  base  of  a col- 
umn ! The  sight  of  this  unwithering  green  leaf  ex- 
cites me  like  red  at  some  seasons.  Are  not  wood- 
frogs  the  philosophers  who  frequent  these  groves  ? 
Methinks  I imbibe  a cool,  composed,  frog-like  phi- 
losophy when  I behold  them.  The  form  of  the  poly- 
pody is  strangely  interesting,  it  is  even  outlandish. 
Some  forms,  though  common  in  our  midst,  are  thus 
perennially  foreign  as  the  growth  of  other  latitudes. 
. . . The  bare  outline  of  the  polypody  thrills  me 

strangely.  It  only  perplexes  me.  Simple  as  it  is,  it 
is  as  strange  as  an  oriental  character.  It  is  quite 
independent  of  my  race  and  of  the  Indian,  and  of 
all  mankind.  It  is  a fabulous,  mythological  form, 
such  as  prevailed  when  the  earth  and  air  and 
water  were  inhabited  by  those  extinct  fossil  creat 
ures  that  we  find.  It  is  contemporary  with  them, 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


and  affects  us  somewhat  as  the  sight  of  them 
might  do.” 


49.  LONG  BEECH  FERN 

Phegopteris  polypodioides  (P.  Phegopteris') 

Newfoundland  to  Alaska,  south  to  mountains  of 
Virginia,  wet  woods  and  hill-sides.  Six  or  eight  inches 
to  more  than  a foot  high. 

Fronds. — Triangular,  usually  longer  than  broad 
(4-9  inches  long,  3-6  inches  broad),  downy,  especially 
beneath,  thin,  once-pinnate  ; pinnce  lance-shaped,  the 
lower  pair  noticeably  standing  forward  and  deflexed, 
cut  into  oblong,  obtuse  seg- 
ments ; fruit-dots  small,  round, 
near  the  margin  ; indusium, 
none. 


Of  the  three  species 
oi  Phegopteris  native  to 
the  northeastern  States 
P.  polypodioides,  com- 
monly called  the  Long 
Beech  Fern,  is  the  one 
I happen  to  have  en- 
countered oftenest. 

It  is  a less  delicate 
plant  than  either  of  its 
sisters,  the  effect  of  the 
larger  and  older  specimens  being 
rather  hardy,  yet  its  downy,  often 
light-green,  triangular  frond  is  ex- 
ceedingly pretty,  with  a certain  od- 
dity of  aspect  which  it  owes  to  the 

187 


Long  Beech  Fern 


GROUP  V! 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


lowest  pair  of  pinnae,  these  being  conspicuously 
deflexed  and  turned  forward.  This  peculiarity 
gives  it  a decided  individuality  and  renders  it  easy 
of  identification. 

The  Long  Beech  Fern  I have  found  growing 


a Portion  of  pinna 


b Tip  of  pinna 


alternately  in  company  with  the  Oak  Fern  and  the 
Broad  Beech  Fern.  It  loves  the  damp  woods, 
clambering  over  the  roots  of  trees  or  carpeting 
thickly  the  hollows  that  lie  between. 


50.  BROAD  BEECH  FERN.  HEXAGON  BEECH  FERN 

P hegopteris  hexagonoptera 

Quebec  to  Florida,  in  dry  woods  and  on  hill-sides,  with  stalks 
eight  to  eighteen  inches  long. 

Fronds. — Triangular,  as  broad  or  broader  than  long,  seven  to 
twelve  inches  broad,  thin,  slightly  hairy,  often  finely  glandular  be- 
neath, fragrant,  once-pinnate ; pinna,  the  large,  lowest  ones  broad- 
est near  the  middle  and  cut  nearly  to  the  midrib  into  linear- 
oblong,  obtuse  segments,  the  middle  ones  lance-shaped,  tapering, 
the  upper  ones  oblong,  obtuse,  toothed  or  entire ; basal  segments 
of  the  pinnae  forming  a continuous,  many-angled  wing  along  the 
main  rachis  ; fruit-dots  round,  small,  near  the  margin  ; indusiuvi , 
none. 


In  many  ways  this  plant  resembles  its  sister,  the 
Long  Beech  Fern,  but  usually  it  is  a larger  plant, 


PLATE.  XXXV 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


with  more  broadly  triangular  fronds,  which  wear,  to 
my  mind,  a brighter,  fresher,  more  delicate  green. 
In  the  Long  Beech  Fern  the  two  lower  pairs  of  pin- 
nae differ  little  in  length  and  breadth,  while  in  the 
Broad  Beech  Fern  the  lowest  pair  are  decidedly 
larger  and  broader  than  the  next  pair.  The  wing 
along  the  rachis  formed  by  the  basal  segments  of  the 
pinnae  seems, vto  me  more  conspicuous  in  the  latter 
than  in  the  former. 

The  range  of  the  Broad  Beech  Fern  extends  far- 
ther south  than  does  that  of  its  two  kinsmen,  neither 
of  which  are  found,  1 believe,  south  of  Virginia.  It 
seeks  also  more  open  and  usually  drier  woods.  Its 
leaves  are  fragrant. 

Williamson  says  that  its  fronds  are  easily  decolor- 
ized and  that  they  form  a “good  object  for  double- 
staining,  a process  well  known  to  microscopists.” 

Si.  OAK  FERN 

Phegopteris  Dryopteris 

Northeastern  United  States  to  Virginia,  west  to  Oregon  and 
Alaska,  usually  in  wet  woods,  with  stalks  six  to  nine  inches  long. 

Fronds. — Usually  longer  than  broad,  four  to  nine  inches  long, 
broadly  triangular,  the  three  primary  divisions  widely  spreading, 
smooth,  once  or  twice-pinnate  ; fruit-dots  small,  round,  near  the 
margin  ; indusium,  none. 

So  far  as  I remember,  my  first  encounter  with  the 
Oak  Fern  was  in  a cedar  swamp,  famous  for  its 
growth  of  showy  lady’s-slippers.  One  July  day 
in  the  hope  of  finding  in  flower  some  of  these 

iqo 


PLATE  XXXV\ 


OAK  FERN 


I9I 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


orchids,  I visited  this  swamp.  It  lay  in  a semi- 
twilight, caused  by  the  dense  growth  of  cedars  and 
hemlocks.  Prostrate  on  the  spongy  sphagnum  be- 
low were  hosts  of  uprooted  trees,  so  overrun  with 
trailing  strands  of  partridge-vine,  twin-flower,  gold- 
thread, and  creeping  snowberry,  and  so  soft  and 
yielding  to  the  feet  that  they  seemed  to  have  be- 
come one  with  the  earth.  The  stumps  and  far- 
reaching  roots  of  the  trees  that  had  been  cut  or 
broken  off  above  ground,  instead  of  having  been 
uprooted  bodily,  had  also  become  gardens  of  many 
delicate  woodland  growths.  Some  of  these  decay- 
ing stumps  and  outspreading  roots  were  thickly 
clothed  with  the  clover-like  leaflets  of  the  wood- 
sorrel,  here  and  there  nestling  among  them  a pink- 
veined  blossom.  On  others  I found  side  by  side 
gleaming  wild  strawberries  and  dwarf  raspberries, 
feathery  fronds  of  Maidenhair,  tall  Osmundas,  the 
Crested  and  the  Spinulose  Shield  Ferns,  the  leaves 
of  the  violet,  foam-flower,  mitrewort,  and  many 
others  of  the  smaller,  wood-loving  plants.  Among 
these  stumps  were  pools  of  water  filled  with  the 
dark,  polished,  rounded  leaves  of  the  wild  calla, 
and  bordered  by  beds  of  moss  which  cushioned  the 
equally  shining  but  long  and  pointed  leaves  of  the 
Clint onia.  Near  one  of  these  pools  grew  a patch 
of  delicate,  low-spreading  plants,  evidently  ferns. 
It  needed  only  one  searching  look  at  the  broad, 
triangular,  light-green  fronds — suggesting  somewhat 
those  of  a small  Brake — with  roundish  fruit-dots  be- 
low to  assure  me  that  I had  found  the  Oak  Fern. 


IQ2 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


Every  lover  of  plants  or  of  birds  or  of  any  natural 
objects  will  appreciate  the  sense  of  something  more 
exciting  than  satisfaction  which  I experienced  as  I 
knelt  above  the  little  plantation  and  gathered  a few 
slender-stemmed  fronds.  One  such  find  as  this 
compensates  for  many  hours  of  fatigue  and  discom- 
fort, or  intensifies  the  enjoyment  of  an  already 
happy  day.  The  expedition  had  justified  itself  with 
the  first  full  view  of  the  solemn,  beautiful  depths  of 
the  cedar  forest.  The  discovery  of  the  Oak  Fern 
provided  a tangible  token  of  what  we  had  accom- 
plished, and  when  finally  we  found  the  tall,  leafy 
plants  of  the  showy  lady’s-slipper,  without  a single 
blossom  left  upon  them,  our  disappointment  was  so 
mild  as  to  be  almost  imperceptible. 

As  is  often  the  case,  having  once  discovered  the 
haunt  of  the  Oak  Fern,  it  ceased  to  be  a rarity.  It 
joined  the  host  of  plants  which  climbed  over  the 
mossy  stumps  and  fallen  logs,  and  at  times  it  fairly 
carpeted  the  ground  beneath  the  cedars  and  hem* 
locks. 


193 


Canada  to  Tennessee,  on  wet 
rocks,  preferring  limestone.  One 
to  three  feet  long,  with  light- 
colored,  somewhat  brittle  stalks. 


Fronds. — Elongated,  lance-shaped 
from  a broad  base,  often  bearing  be- 
neath large,  fleshy  bulbs,  usually 
twice-pinnate ; pinna  lance-oblong, 
pointed  ; pinnules  toothed  or  deeply 
lobed ; fruit-dots  roundish,  indusium  short, 
hood-like,  attached  by  a broad  base  on  the  side 
toward  the  midrib,  early 
thrown  back  and  withering 
so  that  the  mature  fruit-dots 
appear  arched. 


The  Bulblet  Blad- 
der Fern  is  never  more 
at  home  than  when 

it  grows  close  to  falling  water,  clinging  to  rocks 
dark  and  wet  wFh  spray.  It  seems  to  reflect 

194 


FLATE  XXXVII 


195 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


the  very  spirit  of  the  waterfall,  all  its  life  and 
grace,  as  it  springs  from  the  dripping  ledges,  cloth- 
ing them  with  a diaphanous  garment  of  delicate 
green  which  vies  with  their  neighboring  veil  of 
white,  now  pouring  over  some  rocky  shelf  a solid 
but  silent  mass  of  pale  luxuriant  foliage,  now  trailing 
down  the  cliff  its  long,  tapering  fronds,  side  by  side 
with  silvery  strands  of  water,  close  to  tufts  of  wind- 
blown, spray-tipped  hare-bells. 

Although  the  plant  is  never  seen  at  its  best  save 
in  some  such  neighborhood  as  this,  its  slender,  feath- 
ery fronds  are  always  possessed  of  singular  grace 
and  charm,  whether  undulating  along  the  dried 
rocky  bed  of  a mountain  brook  or  bending  till  their 
slender  tips  nearly  touch  the  rushing  stream  or 
growing  quite  away  from  the  rocks  which  are 
their  natural  and  usual  companions  among  the 
moss-grown  trunks  and  fallen  trees  of  the  wet 
woods. 

I know  no  other  fern,  save  the  climbing  fern, 
which  is  so  vine-like  and  clinging  In  reality  its 
stalk  and  midrib  are  somewhat  brittle,  yet  this  brit- 
tleness does  not  prevent  its  adapting  itself  with  sup- 
ple and  exquisite  curves  to  whatever  support  it  has 
chosen. 

In  its  manner  of  growth,  as  well  as  in  its  slender, 
taper'ng  outline,  the  Bulblet  Bladder  Fern  is  so  in- 
dividual that  there  can  be  no  difficulty  in  identifying 
the  full-sized  fertile  fronds,  even  in  the  absence  of 
the  little  bulbs  which  grow  on  the  under  side  of  the 

frond,  usually  at  the  base  of  the  pinnae.  The  sterile 

196 


i LATE  XXXVIM 


c Magnified  fruit-dot  showing  indusium 

197 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


fronds  are  shorter  and  broader  in  proportion,  and 
not  so  easily  identified. 

53.  FRAGILE  BLADDER  FERN.  COMMON  BLADDER 

FERN 

Cystopteris  fragilis 

A rock  and  wood  fern,  found  from  Newfoundland  to  Georgia. 
Six  to  eighteen  inches  long,  with  slender  and  brittle  stalks,  green 
except  at  the  base. 

Fronds. — Oblong-lanceolate,  thin,  twice  to  thrice-pinnate  or  pin- 
natifid  ; pinna  iance-ovate,  irregularly  cut  into  toothed  segments 
which  at  their  base  run  along  the  midrib  by  a narrow  margin  ; fruit- 
dots  roundish,  often  abundant ; indusium  early  withering  and 
exposing  the  sporangia,  which  finally  appear  naked. 

This  plant  may  be  ranked  among  the  earliest  ferns 
of  the  year.  In  May  or  June,  if  we  climb  down  to 
the  brook  where  the  columbine  flings  out  her  bril- 
liant, nodding  blossoms,  we  find  the  delicate  little 
fronds,  just  uncurled,  clinging  to  the  steep,  moist 
rocks,  or  perhaps  beyond,  in  the  deeper  woods,  they 
nestle  among  the  spreading  roots  of  some  great  for- 
est tree.  Their  “fragile  greenness”  is  very  winning. 
As  the  plant  matures,  attaining  at  times  a height  of 
nearly  two  feet,  it  loses  something  of  this  first  deli- 
cate charm.  By  the  end  of  July  its  fruit  has  ripened, 
its  spores  are  discharged,  and  the  plant  disappears. 
Frequently,  if  not  always,  a new  crop  springs  up  in 
August.  We  are  enchanted  to  discover  tender 
young  fronds  making  patches  of  fresh  green  in  ev- 
ery crevice  of  the  rocks  among  which  the  stream 
forces  its  precipitous  way.  Once  more  the  woods 
are  flavored  with  the  essence  of  spring.  In  our 

198 


PLATE  XXX, X 


RUSTY  W00DS1A 


199 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


delight  in  this  new  promise  we  forget  for  a mo- 
ment to  mourn  the  vanishing  summer. 

The  outline  of  the  Common  Bladder  Fern  sug- 
gests that  of  the  Obtuse  Woodsia.  The  two  plants 
might  be  difficult  to  distinguish  were  it  not  for  the 
difference  in  their  indusia.  At  maturity  the  indu- 
sium  of  the  Common  Bladder  Fern  usually  disap- 
pears, leaving  the  fruit-dot  naked,  while  that  of  the 
Obtuse  Woodsia  is  fastened  underneath  the  fruit- 
dot  and  splits  apart  into  jagged,  spreading  lobes. 

The  sterile  fronds  of  the  Slender  Cliff  Brake  also 
have  been  thought  to  resemble  this  fern,  in  whose 
company  it  often  grows. 

Williamson  says  that  the  Common  Bladder  Fern 
is  easily  cultivated  either  in  mounds  or  on  rock- 
work. 


54.  RUSTY  WOODSIA 

Woodsia  Ilvensis 

From  Labrador  and  Greenland  south  to  North  Carolina  and  Ken- 
tucky, usually  on  exposed  rocks  in  somewhat  mountainous  regions. 
A few  inches  to  nearly  one  foot  high. 

Fronds. — Oblong-lance-shaped,  rather  smooth  above,  the  stalk 
and  under  surface  of  the  frond  thickly  clothed  with  rusty  chaff, 
once-pinnate ; pinna  oblong,  obtuse,  sessile,  cut  into  oblong  seg- 
ments ; fruit-dots  round,  near  the  margin,  often  confluent  at  matur- 
ity ; indusium  detached  by  its  base  under  the  sporangia,  dividing 
into  slender  hairs  which  curl  above  them. 

Last  Decoration  Day,  while  clambering  over 
some  rocky  cliffs  in  the  Berkshire  Hills,  I found  the 
Rusty  Woodsia  growing  in  masses  so  luxuriant  to 

the  eye  and  so  velvety  to  the  touch  that  it  hardly 

200 


pinna 


BLUNT-LOBED  WOODSIA 

b Fruit-dot  magnified,  showing  indusium 


201 


TROUP  VI  FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
UKUUL  VI  AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 

suggested  the  bristly  looking  plant  which  one  finds 
later  in  the  summer. 

This  fern  reverses  the  usual  order  of  things,  be- 
ing gray-haired  in  youth  and  brown-haired  in  old 
age,  with  the  result  that  in  May  its  effect  is  a soft, 
silvery  green.  But  even  in  August,  if  you  chance 
upon  a vigorous  tuft  springing  from  some  rocky 
crevice,  despite  its  lack  of  delicacy  and  its  bristle 
of  red-brown  hairs  or  chaff,  the  plant  is  an  attract- 
ive one. 

Environment  has  much  to  do  with  the  charm  of 
ferns.  The  first  plant  of  this  species  I ever  identi- 
fied grew  on  a rocky  shelf  within  a few  feet  of  a 
stream  which  flowed  swift  and  cold  from  the  near 
mountains.  Close  by,  from  the  forked  branches  of 
a crimson-fruited  mountain  maple,  hung  the  dainty, 
deserted  nest  of  a vireo.  Always  the  Rusty  Wood- 
sia  seems  to  bring  me  a message  from  that  abode 
of  solitude  and  silence. 

55.  BLUNT-LOBED  WOODSIA 

Woodsia  obtusa 

Canada  to  Georgia  and  Alabama  and  westward,  on  rocks. 
Eight  to  twenty  inches  high,  with  stalks  not  jointed,  chaffy  when 
young. 

Fronds. — Broadly  lanceolate,  nearly  twice-pinnate  ; pinna  rather 
remote,  triangular-ovate  or  oblong,  pinnately  parted  into  obtuse, 
oblong,  toothed  segments  ; veins  forked  ; fruit-dots  on  or  near 
the  minutely  toothed  lobes  ; indusium  conspicuous,  splitting  into 
several  jagged  lobes. 

The  Blunt-lobed  Woodsia  is  not  rare  on  rocks  and 

stony  hillsides  in  Maine  and  Northern  New  York. 

202 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


It  is  found  frequently  in  the  valley  of  the  Hudson. 
Though  not  related  to  the  Common  Bladder  Fern 
(C.  fragilis),  it  has  somewhat  the  same  general  ap- 
pearance. Its  fronds,  however,  are  usually  both 
broader  and  longer,  and  its  stalk  and  pinnae  are 
slightly  downy.  Its  range  does  not  vary  greatly 
from  that  of  the  Common  Bladder  Fern,  but 
usually  it  grows  in  more  exposed  spots  and  some- 
times basks  in  strong  sunshine. 

Meehan  says  the  Blunt-lobed  Woodsia  is  found 
along  the  Wissahickon  Creek,  Penna.,  on  dry  walls 
in  shady  places.  “ One  of  its  happiest  phases,” 
he  continues,  “ is  toward  the  fall  of  the  year,  when 
the  short,  barren  fronds  which  form  the  outer  circle 
bend  downward,  forming  a sort  of  rosette,  in  the 
centre  of  which  the  fertile  fronds  somewhat  erectly 
stand.” 

The  sterile  fronds  remain  fairly  green  till  spring. 

56.  NORTHERN  WOODSIA.  ALPINE  WOODSIA 

Woodsia  hyperborea  ( W.  alpi>ia) 

Northern  New  York  and  Vermont,  and  northward  from  Labra- 
dor to  Alaska,  on  rocks.  Two  to  six  inches  long,  with  stalks 
jointed  near  the  base. 

Fronds. — Narrowly  oblong-lanceolate,  nearly  smooth,  pinnate  ; 
pinnce  triangular-ovate,  obtuse,  lobed  ; lobes  few ; fruit-dots  some- 
what scattered  ; indusium  as  in  IV.  Ilvensis. 

This  rare  little  fern  has  been  found  by  Dr.  Peck 
in  the  Adirondacks  and  by  Horace  Mann,  jr.,  and 
Mr.  Pringle  in  Vermont.  In  his  delightful  “ Rem- 

203 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


iniscences  of  Botanical  Rambles  in  Vermont,'' 
published  in  the  Torrey  Bulletin,  July,  1897,  Mr. 
Pringle  describes  his  first  discovery  of  this  species  : 
“ I was  on  the  mountain  [Willoughby]  on  the  4th 
of  August  and  examined  the  entire  length  of  the 
cliffs,  climbing  upon  all  their  accessible  shelves. 
Among  the  specimens  of  Woodsia  glabella  brought 
away  were  a few  which  I judged  to  belong  to  a 
different  species.  Mr.  Frost,  to  whom  they  were 
first  submitted,  pronounced  them  Woodsia  glabella. 
Not  satisfied  with  his  report,  I showed  them  to  Dr. 
Gray.  By  him  I was  advised  to  send  them  to  Pro- 
fessor Eaton,  because,  as  he  said,  Woodsia  is  a criti- 
cal genus.  Professor  Eaton  assured  me  that  I had 
Woodsia  hyperborea , . . . another  addition  to  the 

flora  of  the  United  States.” 

Later  in  the  year  Mr.  Pringle  made  a visit  to 
Smugglers’  Notch  on  Mount  Mansfield,  when  he  was 
“prepared  to  camp  in  the  old  Notch  House  among 
hedgehogs,  and  botanize  the  region  day  by  day.” 
This  visit  was  rich  in  its  results.  The  most  nota- 
ble finds  were  Aspidium  fragrans , Asplenium  viride , 
Woodsia  glabella,  and  Woodsia  hyperborea. 


20\ 


NORTHERN  *'00£>S* 


205 


GROUP  VI  EERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 

57.  SMOOTH  WOODSIA 

Woodsia  glabella 

Northern  New  York  and  Vermont,  and  northward  from  Labra^ 
dor  to  Alaska,  on  moist  rocks.  Two  to  five  inches  long,  with 
stalks  jointed  at  base. 

Fronds.— Yz ry  delicate,  linear  or  narrowly  lanceolate,  smooth 
on  both  sides,  pinnate  ; pinna  roundish  ovate,  obtuse,  lobed,  lobes 
few  ; fruit-dols  scattered  ; indusium  minute. 

The  Smooth  Woodsia  closely  resembles  the 
Northern  Woodsia,  and  one  may  expect  to  find  it 
in  much  the  same  parts  of  the  country.  In  texture 
it  is  still  more  delicate  ; its  fronds  are  almost  per- 
fectly smooth,  its  outline  is  narrower,  and  its  pinnae 
are  but  slightly  lobed. 

Mr.  Pringle  tells  us  that  a letter  from  Mr.  George 
Davenport,  asking  him  to  look  for  Woodsia  gla 
bella,  awakened  his  first  interest  in  ferns.  His  own 
account  of  these  early  fern  hunts  is  inspiring  in  its 
enthusiasm  : 

“ In  1873  George  Davenport  was  beginning  his 
study  of  ferns.  A letter  from  him,  asking  me  to  look 
for  Woodsia  glabella  . . . started  me  on  a fern  hunt. 
The  species  had  been  found  on  Willoughby  Moun- 
tain, Vt.,  and  at  Little  Falls,  N.  Y. ; might  it  not 
be  growing  in  many  places  in  Vermont?  When  I 
set  out  I knew,  as  I must  suppose,  not  a single  fern, 
and  it  was  near  the  close  of  the  summer.  You  can 
imagine  what  delights  awaited  me  in  the  autumn 
woodlands.  I made  the  acquaintance  of  not  a few 
ferns,  though  it  was  too  late  to  prepare  good  speci- 
mens of  them.  In  this  first  blind  endeavor  I got,  of 

206 


SMOOTH  WOODSIA 
a Fertile  pinna 

20  7 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


course,  no  clew  to  Woodsia  glabella.  The  next  sum- 
mer  the  hunt  was  renewed  and  persistently  followed 
up.  I found  pleasure  in  securing  one  by  one  nearly 
all  our  Vermont  ferns.  At  the  time  I thought  it 
worthy  of  remembrance  that  a single  field  of  diversi- 
fied pasture  and  woodland  on  an  adjoining  farm 
'fielded  me  thirty  species.  Although  the  two  com- 
mon  species  of  Woodsia  were  near  at  hand,  Woodsia 
glabella  was  still  eluding  my  search.  I sent  a friend 
to  the  summit  of  Jay  Peak  in  a fruitless  quest  for  it. 
Finally,  on  September  ist,  I joined  Mr.  Congdon  at 
its  old  station  on  Willoughby  Mountain,  and  made 
myself  familiar  with  its  exquisite  form. 

“ During  the  first  two  years  of  my  collecting  in 
earnest,  1874  and  1875,  several  visits  were  made  to 
Camel’s  Hump,  the  peak  most  accessible  to  me.  In 
this  way  some  time  was  lost,  because  its  subalpine 
area  is  limited,  and  consequently  the  number  of  rare 
plants  to  be  found  there  is  small.  Yet,  with  such 
dogged  persistence  as  sometimes  prevents  my  mak- 
ing  good  progress,  my  last  visit  to  that  point  was 
not  made  till  the  20th  of  June,  1876.  On  that  day  I 
clambered,  I believe,  over  every  shelf  of  its  great 
southern  precipice  and  peered  into  every  fissure 
among  the  rocks.  At  last,  as  I was  climbing  up  the 
apex  over  the  southeastern  buttress,  my  perilous  toil 
was  rewarded  by  the  discovery  not  only  of  Woodsia 
glabella , but  of  Aspidium  fragrans.  . . . There 

were  only  a few  depauperate  specimens  of  each 
which  had  not  yet  succumbed  to  the  adverse  condi- 
tions of  their  dry  and  exposed  situation.” 

20S 


GROUP  VI 


FERTILE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR  ; FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 


In  the  following  passage  Mr.  Pringle  describes  his 
pleasure,  some  years  later,  in  the  companionships 
fostered  by  a common  interest  in  his  pet  hobby : 

“ . . . my  delight  in  this  preserve  of  boreal 

plants  was  shared  with  not  a few  genial  botanists. 
Charles  Faxon  came  before  any  of  us  suspected  that 
he  possessed  undeveloped  talent  for  a botanical  ar- 
tist of  highest  excellence.  Edwin  Faxon  followed 
his  young  brother,  and  with  me  made  the  tedious  as- 
cent to  Stirling  Pond,  a day  of  toil  well  rewarded. 
Thomas  Morong  came,  before  the  hardships  of  his 
Paraguayan  journey  had  broken  him  down.  . . . 

Our  honored  President  came.  . . . In  those  days 
as  now,  ...  he  was  often  my  companion  to  add 
delight  to  my  occupation  and  to  reinforce  my  en- 
thusiasm. . . . The  gentle  Davenport  came  at 

last  to  behold  for  the  first  time  in  their  native  haunts 
many  of  the  objects  of  his  first  love  and  study.  When 
I had  found  for  him  yet  once  more  in  a fifth  Vermont 
station  (this  was  under  Checkerberry  Ledge,  near 
Bakersfield)  the  fern  he  at  first  desired,  and,  together 
with  that,  had  discovered  within  our  limits  three  or 
four  others  quite  as  rare  and  scarcely  expected,  I 
might  feel  that  I had  complied  with  the  request  of  his 
letter.  But  that  letter  initiated  a warm  friendship 
between  us  and  association  in  work  upon  American 
ferns,  which  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
During  these  twenty-three  years  of  botanical  travel 
on  my  part  my  hands  have  gathered  all  but  thirty- 
six  of  the  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  species  of  North 
American  ferns,  and  from  the  more  remote  corners 


TROUP  VI  FERmE  AND  STERILE  FRONDS  LEAF-LIKE 
UKUUV  VI  AND  USUALLY  SIMILAR;  FRUIT-DOTS  ROUND 

of  our  continent  I have  sent  home  to  my  friend  for 
description  and  publication  sixteen  new  ones.  Yet 
I trust  that  the  fern  hunt  upon  which  he  started  me 
in  1873  is  still  far  from  its  close.” 

The  above  quotations  illustrate  fairly  the  enthu- 
siasm aroused  by  a pursuit  which  is  full  of  peculiar 
fascination.  Almost  anyone  who  has  made  a study 
of  our  native  ferns  will  recall  hours  filled  with  de- 
light through  their  agency,  companions  made  more 
companionable  by  means  of  a common  interest  in 
their  names,  haunts,  and  habits. 


210 


INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES 


Adiantum  Capillus-Veneris,  108 
Adiantum  emarginatum,  no 
Adiantum  pedatum,  108 
Adiantum  tenerum,  no 
Aspidium  acrostichoides,  96 
Aspidium  aculeatum,  182 
Aspidium  aculeatum  var.  Braunii,  182 
Aspidium  Boottii,  168 
Aspidium  Braunii,  182 
Aspidium  cristatum,  170 
Aspidium  cristatum,  var.  Clintonia- 
num,  172 

Aspidium  fragrans,  178 
Aspidium  Goldianum,  174 
Aspidium  marginale,  176 
Aspidium  Noveboracense,  159 
Aspidium  spinulosum,  166 
Aspidium  spinulosum,  var.  dilata- 
tum,  168 

Aspidium  spinulosum,  var.  interme- 
dium, 166 

Aspidium  Thelypteris,  160 
Asplenium  acrostichoides,  124 
Asplenium  angustifolium,  98 
Asplenium  Bradleyi,  144 
Asplenium  ebeneum,  134 
Asplenium  ebenoides,  140 
Asplenium  Felix-foemina,  120 
Asplenium  montanum,  130 
Asplenium  pinnatifidum,  142 
Asplenium  platyneuron,  134 
Asplenium  Ruta-muraria,  126 
Asplenium  thelypteroides,  124 
Asplenium  Trichomanes,  136 
Asplenium  viride,  138 

Botrychium  dissectum,  81 
Botrychium  gracile,  80 


Botrychium  lanceolatum,  86 
Botrychium  Lunaria,  84 
Botrychium  matricarisefoliunv  86 
Botrychium  simplex,  81 
Botrychium  ternatum,  81 
Botrychium  Virginianum,  80 

Camptosorus  rhizophyllus,  146 
Cheilanthes  lanosa,  112 
Cheilanthes  vestita,  112 
Cystopteris  bulbifera,  194 
Cystopteris  fragilis,  198 

Dtcksonia  pilosiuscula,  114 
Dicksonia  punctilobula,  114 
Dryopteris  acrostichoides,  96 
Dryopteris  aculeata,  182 
Dryopteris  Boottii,  168 
Dryopteris  Braunii,  182 
Dryopteris  cristata,  170 
Dryopteris  cristata  Clintoniana,  172 
Dryopteris  fragrans,  178 
Dryopteris  Goldieana,  174 
Dryopteris  marginalis,  176 
Dryopteris  Noveboracensis,  159 
Dryopteris  simulata,  164 
Dryopteris  spinulosa,  166 
Dryopteris  spinulosa  dilatata,  168 
Dryopteris  spinulosa  intermedia, 
166 

Dryopteris  Thelypteris,  160 

Lygodium  palmatum,  75 

Onoclea  sensibilis,  54 
Onoclea  sensibilis,  var.  obtusilobata, 
56 

Onoclea  Struthiopteris,  56 


INDEX  TO  LATIN  NAMES 


Ophioglossum  vulgatum,  77 
Osmunda  cinnamomea,  60 
Osmunda  cinnamomea,  var.  fron- 
dosa,  62 

Osmunda  Claytoniana,  72 
Osmunda  regalis,  67 

PelLjEA  atropurpurea,  90 
Pellsea  gracilis,  87 
Pellsea  Stelleri,  87 
Phegopteris  Dryopteris,  190 
Phegopteris  hexagonoptera,  x88 
Phegopteris  Phegopteris,  187 
Phegopteris  polypodioides,  187 
Polypodium  vulgare,  184 


Pteris  aquilina,  105 
Pteris  esculenta,  107 

Schiz^a  pusilla,  63 
Scolopendrium  scolopendrium,  150 
Scolopendrium  vulgare,  150 

Woodsia  Alpina,  203 
Woodsia  glabella,  206 
Woodsia  hyperborea,  203 
Woodsia  Ilvensis,  200 
Woodsia  obtusa,  202 
Woodwardia  angustifolia,  102 
Woodwardia  Virginica,  156 


212 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES 


Adder's  Tongue,  77 
Alpine  Woodsia,  203 

Beech  Fern,  Broad,  188 
Beech  Fern,  Long,  187 
Bladder  Fern,  Bulblet,  194 
Bladder  Fern,  Common,  198 
Bladder  Fern,  Fragile,  198 
Blunt-lobed  Woodsia,  202 
Boott's  Shield  Fern,  168 
Bracken,  105 

Bradley's  Spleenwort,  144 
Brake,  105 

Braun’s  Holly  Fern,  182 

Caterpillar  Fern,  156 
Chain  Fern,  Net-veined,  102 
Chain  Fern,  Virginia,  156 
Christmas  Fern,  96 
Cinnamon  Fern,  60 
Cliff  Brake,  Purple,  90 
Cliff  Brake,  Slender,  87 
Clinton's  Wood  Fern,  172 
Climbing  Fern,  75 
Common  Polypody,  184 
Creeping  Fern,  75 
Crested  Shield  Fern,  170 
Curly  Grass,  63 

Eagle  Fern,  105 
Ebony  Spleenwort,  134 
Evergreen  Wood  Fern,  67 

Flowering  Fern,  67 
Fragile  Bladder  Fern,  198 
Fragrant  Shield  Fern,  178 


Grape  Fern,  Lance-leaved,  86 
Grape  Fern,  Little,  82 
Grape  Fern,  Matricary,  86 
Grape  Fern,  Ternate,  81 
Grape  Fern,  Virginia,  80 
Green  Spleenwort,  138 

Hairy  Lip  Fern,  112 
Holly  Fern,  Braun's,  182 
Hartford  Fern,  75 
Hart’s  Tongue,  150 
Hay-scented  Fern,  114 

Interrupted  Fern,  72 

Lady  Fern,  120 
Lance-leaved  Grape  Fern,  86 
Little  Grape  Fern,  82 
Lip  Fern,  Hairy,  112 
Long  Beech  Fern,  187 

Maidenhair,  108 
Maidenhair  Spleenwort,  136 
Marginal  Shield  Fern,  176 
Marsh  Fern,  160 
Massachusetts  Fern,  164 
Matricary  Grape  Fern,  86 
Moonwort,  84 
Mountain  Spleenwort,  130 

Narrow-leaved  Spleenwort,  98 
Net-veined  Chain  Fern,  102 
New  York  Fern,  159 
Northern  Woodsia,  203 

Oak  Fern,  190 
Ostrich  Fern,  56 


Goldie's  Fern,  174 


213 


INDEX  TO  ENGLISH  NAMES 


PlNNATlFiD  Spleenwort,  142 
Polypody,  Common,  184 
Prickly  Shield  Fern,  182 
Purple  Cliff  Brake,  90 

Rattlesnake  Fern,  80 
Royal  Fern,  67 
Rue  Spleenwort,  126 
Rusty  Woodsia,  200 

Scott’s  Spleenwort,  140 
Shield  Fern,  Boott's,  168 
Shield  Fern,  Crested,  170 
Shield  Fern,  Fragrant,  178 
Shield  Fern,  Marginal,  176 
Shield  Fern,  Prickly,  182 
Seaweed  Fern,  156 
Sensitive  Fern,  54 
Silvery  Spleenwort,  124 
Slender  Cliff  Brake,  87 
Smooth  Woodsia,  206 
Snake  Fern,  184 
Spinulose  Wood  Fern,  166 
Spleenwort,  Bradley’s,  144 
Spleenwort,  Ebony,  134 


Spleenwort,  Green,  138 
Spleenwort,  Maidenhair,  136 
Spleenwort,  Mountain,  130 
Spleenwort,  Narrow-leaved,  98 
Spleenwort,  Pinnatifid,  142 
Spleenwort,  Rue,  126 
Spleenwort,  Silvery,  124 
Spleenwort,  Scotts',  140 

Ternate  Grape  Fern,  81 

Virginia  Chain  Fern,  156 
Virginia  Grape  Fern,  80 

Walking  Fern,  146 
Walking  Leaf,  146 
Wall  Rue,  126 
Wood  Fern,  Clinton's,  172 
Wood  Fern,  Evergreen,  176 
Wood  Fern,  Spinulose,  166 
Woodsia,  Alpine,  203 
Woodsia,  Blunt-lobed,  202 
Woodsia,  Northern,  203 
Woodsia,  Rusty,  200 
Woodsia,  Smooth,  206 


214 


INDEX  TO  TECHNICAL  TERMS 


Antheridia,  34 
Archegonia,  34 
Alternation  of  generations,  33 
Asexual  generation,  34 

Frond,  28 
Fertile  frond,  3 
Fertilization,  34 

Indusium,  31 

Once-pinnate  frond,  30 

Pinnatifid  frond,  29 
Pinnae,  30 


Pinnules,  30 
Prothallium,  34 

Rachis,  30 
Rootstock,  28 

Sexual  generation,  33 
Simple  frond,  29 
Sori,  30 
Sporangia,  30 
Spore,  30 
Sterile  frond,  31 

Twice-pinnate  frond,  30 

Veins,  free,  30 


V 


BOOKS  ON  GARDEN 
FIELD  AND  WOOD 

How  to  Know  the  Wild 
Flowers 

By  MRS.  WILLIAM  STARR  DANA 

With  48  colored  plates  and  new  black-and-white  drawings, 
enlarged,  rewritten,  and  entirely  reset. 

A guide  to  the  names,  haunts,  and  habits  of  our  native 
wild  flowers.  With  48  full-page  colored  plates  by 
Elsie  Louise  Shaw,  and  no  full-page  illustrations 
by  Marion  Satterlee.  Crown  8vo,  $2.00  net. 

“ Readers  will  find  that  even  a bowing  acquaintance  with 
the  flowers  repays  one  generously  for  the  effort  expended  in  its 
achievement,”  says  the  author  in  her  introduction.  “Such  an 
acquaintance  serves  to  transmute  the  tedium  of  a railway  journey 
into  the  excitement  of  a tour  of  discovery.  It  causes  the  monot- 
ony of  a drive  through  an  ordinarily  uninteresting  country  to  be 
forgotten  in  the  diversion  of  noting  the  wayside  flowers,  and 
counting  a hundred  different  species  where  formerly  less  than  a 
dozen  would  have  been  detected.  It  invests  each  boggy  meadow 
and  bit  of  rocky  woodland  with  almost  irresistible  charm.” 

“She  has  systematized  her  facts  in  a compact  and  convenient 
form.  She  is  practical  and  terse,  and  is  also  alive  to  the  things 
which  are  not  entirely  matters  of  fact.” — New  York  Tribune. 

Miss  C.  W.  Hunt,  Superintendent  of  Children’s  Department, 
Brooklyn  Public  Library,  says:  “Get  this  book  if  you  only  carry 
one  flower  book  on  your  vacation.” 

“Particularly  noteworthy  for  its  beautiful  colored  plates, 
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many  cases  the  actual  flower  seems  starting  from  the  page,  and 
one  can  almost  fancy  the  perfume,  too,  is  in  evidence.” 

— New  York  Times. 


BOOKS  ON  GARDEN 
FIELD  AND  WOOD 


By  Mrs.  WILLIAM  STARR  DANA 

(FRANCES  THEODORA  PARSONS'* 

ACCORDING  TO  SEASON 

Talks  about  the  flowers  in  the  order  of  their  appearance 
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is  the  charm  of  nature.” — New  York  Times. 

“ Delightful  talks  upon  the  beauty  of  the  changing  year 
and  the  parts  contributed  to  such  pleasures  by  forest,  grove, 
and  stream.” — The  Interior. 

By  LOUISE  SHELTON 

THE  SEASONS  IN  A 
FLOWER  GARDEN 

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teur. Illustrated.  $1.00  net. 

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BOOKS  ON  GARDEN 
FIELD  AND  WOOD 


How  to  Know  the  Ferns 

By  FRANCES  THEODORA  PARSONS 

Author  of  “According  to  Season  ” and  “ How  to  Know 
the  Wild  Flowers.”  With  144  illustrations  from 
photographs.  Crown  8vo,  $1.50  net. 

Written  in  the  same  fresh  entertaining  way,  and  with 
the  same  care  and  authority,  that  made  invaluable  to 
nature  lovers  her  work  on  “ How  to  Know  the  Wild 
Flowers.” 

“Since  the  publication,  six  years  ago,  of  ‘How  to  Know  the 
Wild  Flowers,’”  says  the  writer,  “I  have  received  such  convin- 
cing testimony  of  the  eagerness  of  nature  lovers  of  all  ages  and 
conditions  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  inhabitants  of  our 
woods  and  fields,  and  so  many  assurances  of  the  joy  which  such 
a familiarity  affords,  that  I have  prepared  this  companion 
volume  on  ‘How  to  Know  the  Ferns.’” 

“The  charm  of  this  book  is  pervading  and  enduring  as  is  the 
charm  of  nature.” — New  York  Times. 

“This  is  a notably  thorough  little  volume.  The  text  is  not 
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on  nature  learning,  is  the  first  of  virtues  in  this  field.  . . . The 
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BOOKS  ON  GARDEN 
FIELD  AND  WOOD 

Our  Native  Trees  and 
How  to  Identify  Them 

By  HARRIET  L.  KEELER 

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The  trees  described  in  this  volume  are  those  indigenous 
to  the  region  extending  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains  and  from  Canada  to  the  northern 
boundaries  of  the  Southern  States;  together  with  a few 
well-known  and  naturalized  foreign  trees  such  as  the 
Horse-Chestnut,  Lombardy  Poplar,  Ailantus,  and  Syca- 
more Maple. 

“Miss  Keeler  has  made  a very  commendable  addition  to  the 
semi-popular  treatises  on  American  plants,  in  a well-written, 
well-illustrated,  and  well-printed  account  of  native  and  natural- 
ized trees.  Bits  of  the  best  from  the  poets  and  prose  writers  re- 
lieve the  descriptions,  and  the  folk-lore  of  a number  of  trees  is 
well  if  briefly  told.” — American  Naturalist. 

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carefully  classified,  adequately  illustrated,  and  most  readably 
written.” — Boston  Budget. 

“It  condenses  into  convenient  shape  a fund  of  information 
spread  over  many  volumes  of  older  works,  and  blends  the  prac- 
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— St.  Louis  Globe-Democrat. 


BOOKS  ON  GARDEN 
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Our  Northern  Shrubs 

By  HARRIET  L.  KEELER 

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ings. Crown  8vo,  $2.00  net. 

The  volume  is  prepared  not  only  for  the  amateur  botan- 
ist who  seeks  a more  adequate  description  than  the  text- 
books afford,  and  not  only  for  the  lover  of  nature  who 
desires  a personal  acquaintance  with  the  bushes  that  grow 
in  the  fields;  but  also  to  serve  those  who  are  engaged  in 
the  establishment  and  decoration  of  city  parks,  roadways, 
and  boulevards;  those  who  are  seeking  to  beautify  country 
roadsides  and  railroad  stations  as  well  as  those  who,  in 
the  decoration  of  their  own  home  grounds,  would  gladly 
use  our  native  shrubs  were  their  habits  and  character  better 
understood. 

“Simple,  clear  descriptions  that  a child  can  understand,  are 
given  of  shrubs  that  find  their  home  in  the  region  extending 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Mississippi  River,  and  from  Canada  to 
the  boundaries  of  our  Southern  States.” — Outlook. 

“There  are  over  two  hundred  plates  from  photographs,  and 
a number  from  drawings.  The  photographs,  all  of  shrubs  in 
flower  or  fruit,  are  very  beautiful,  and  so  clear  as  to  make  identi- 
fication perfectly  simple.” — Dial. 

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incorporation  of  quotations  from  those  authors  among  us  who 
have  best  interpreted  nature.” — Churchman. 


BOOKS  ON  GARDEN 
FIELD  AND  WOOD 


Our  Garden  Flowers 

By  HARRIET  L.  KEELER 

Author  of  “Our  Native  Trees”  and  “Our  Northern 
Shrubs.”  With  96  full-page  illustrations  from  photo- 
graphs and  186  illustrations  from  drawings.  Crown 
8vo,  $2.00  net ; postage  extra. 

A popular  study  of  the  life  histories  of  familiar  flowers, 
their  structural  affiliations,  their  native  lands,  that  has  those 
qualities  of  clearness,  thoroughness,  and  charm  of  style  that 
have  made  her  other  books  famous. 

It  is  beautifully  illustrated. 

“This  book,”  says  its  author  in  her  preface,  “is  the  outcome 
of  a life-long  search  for  a volume  with  which  one  might  make  a 
little  journey  into  the  garden,  and  become  acquainted  with  the 
dwellers  therein ; their  native  land,  their  life  history,  their  struc- 
tural affiliations. 

“Among  the  many  species  of  a genus  it  has  often  been  neces- 
sary to  select  but  one  for  description.  As  a rule  the  choice  has 
been  either  the  typical  form,  or  the  one  longest  in  cultivation,  or 
the  greatest  favorite. 

“While  it  has  been  the  aim  to  make  the  book  a fairly  complete 
study  of  all  the  annual  and  perennial  flowering  herbs  commonly 
found  in  a hardy  garden,  it  is  by  no  means  intended  to  be  a 
catalogue.” 

Full  of  practical,  tested,  systematically  arranged,  and 
well  indexed  information. 


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